The Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix releases the twelfth volume in its “Matrix+ Downloaded” series to coincide with the label’s 24th anniversary. The digital-only set collects 69 tracks across the label’s current spectrum – EBM, dark elektro/industrial, synth pop – and newer Spleen+ additions spanning post-punk, goth rock and coldwave. The compilation is offered as a free/pay-what-you-want download via the label’s Bandcamp page and also includes a PDF booklet.

On the cover you will recognize Erica Dunham from Unter Null.

Artists included on this free download compilation include: Studio-X (feat. Kyoko Baertsoen), Rector Scanner, Aesthetische, Cut.Rate.Box, Kant Kino, Frontal Boundary, C-Lekktor, Acylum, Diffuzion, Implant, Neikka RPM, First Aid 4 Souls (feat. Aux Animaux), Noemi Aurora, Suicidal Romance, Llumen, Hanging Freud, Lederman/De Meyer, The Ultimate Dreamers, Aiboforcen, Digital Factor, Armageddon Dildos, Helalyn Flowers, Krystal System, The True Union, Freakangel, Totem Obscura, Lovelorn Dolls (feat. Dero Goi), The Breath of Life, The Names, ImJudas, Synapsyche, Miseria Ultima, Unter Null, Alien Vampires (feat. Dani Divine), Venal Flesh, Helle9, To Avoid, Pouppée Fabrikk, Stahlgeist, Nigra Nebula, Aengeldust, Circuito Cerrado, Matthew Creed, Cubic, Metroland, The Psychic Force, Komor Kommando, First Aid Tech, Die Robo Sapiens, ELM, Plastic Noise Experience, AD:Key, Elektroklänge, 808 Dot Pop, Avarice in Audio, Elektrostaub (feat. Echo Image), Cryogenic Echelon, Entrzelle, Neuroactive, Technoir, Mondträume, Star Industry, Stray, Psy’Aviah (feat. Sorrow Stories), Zombie Girl, Darkness on Demand, Circumpolar, Dunkelwerk, and Lights A.M.

A&R manager, Sebastien Dolimont says: “In 2025, Alfa Matrix proudly celebrates 24 years of existence. Nearly a quarter of a century fighting for dark alternative music, discovering new talents, and keeping the underground alive. This anniversary is not just about us and our artists – it’s about you, our fans. Because without your constant support, there would be no label, no releases, no future for the scene we all love.”

And he add: “In a world where indie labels are disappearing, streaming revenues collapse, and risks of signing new talents are higher than ever, we are proud to still stand strong — but we can only do it with you by our side. By downloading this compilation, you are not just enjoying music — you are actively supporting 69 artists and helping keep our scene alive, fresh, and forward-looking. From all of us at Alfa Matrix and Spleen+, and on behalf of all our artists: thank you for 24 years of loyalty, passion, and support. Together, we’ll keep writing the future of the dark underground.”

About Alfa Matrix

Alfa Matrix is a Brussels-based independent label founded in 2001. The catalogue focuses on electronic subgenres including industrial, EBM, dark elektro, and synth pop, later expanding into post-punk/coldwave via the Spleen+ division. The label’s team includes label & artists manager Seba Dolimont, promo manager Bernard Van Isacker, and head of design Benoît Blanchart.

From the early 2000s, Alfa Matrix used series-based releases to build international reach. Notable strands include “Sounds From The Matrix” (label samplers), “Re:Connected” (digital label overview), and the club-oriented “Endzeit Bunkertracks” multi-CD anthologies (first “Act” released 21 March 2005, featuring 60 tracks with 50 exclusives).

In 2023, Alfa Matrix inaugurated Spleen+, a division centred on post-punk and adjacent styles, and followed with multi-artist projects and catalogue building, including the “Resurgence” 7-CD box that assembled 133 contemporary bands from the post-punk family.

The label has since the very start focused on a direct contact with its fans and customers via their online webstore and Bandcamp.

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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The newest and seventh album by the German duo AD:Key, comprised of Andrea and René Nowotny, stands out as a particularly special release. Titled “06.09”, it references the couple’s wedding date, celebrating their bond through music. This album stays true to the energetic, intelligent, and old-school EBM style that has become AD:Key’s signature, delivering a powerful sound. Both members contribute vocals throughout, and they also invited long-time friend Uwe Kanka (Armageddon Dildos) to collaborate on one track. Interestingly, the album’s strongest tracks are positioned toward its conclusion. Compared to previous works, “06.09” has a slightly ‘softer’ or more Body-Pop sound, though it remains a refined and well-balanced production, merging strength and sophistication. An additional album complements the release with numerous remixes and alternative versions. Label mates Miseria Ultima and Digital Factor, as well as Martin Bodewell of Orange Sector, contribute compelling remixes, alongside AD:Key’s own reworks and another one from their side project, Rector Scanner. (Rating:8).

Listen to “By Your Side”:

https://alfamatrix.bandcamp.com/track/by-your-side

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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Last September, Alfa Matrix released the 7th studio album from AD:KEY, “0609” (available via Bandcamp): a release full of energy, strong old-school EBM basslines, catchy synth melodies, and addictive choruses, all highlighted by their unique male/female vocal interplay. NITZER EBB’s power meets KRAFTWERK’s melody for a smashing album evoking AND ONE or FRONT 242!

S. First of all, congratulations on the release of “0609” and your wedding anniversary! September 6th must hold a lot of personal significance for you both. Can you share how you spent your anniversary this year and what this date means to you in both your personal and professional lives? 

R. Thank you for your kind wishes. September 6th has a very big meaning for us indeed. We wanted to show the whole world that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. This year we spent our 16th wedding anniversary at the NCN Festival. The night before I performed at the NCN with Orange Sector. Andrea and I met at a festival 17 years ago, married 16 years ago and gave our first AD:keY concert in Kassel on that very day. So a wedding concert!

S. “0609” is described as your most personal album to date, reflecting your deep bond as a couple and bandmates. How did your relationship influence the creative process behind this release? Were there any moments that felt especially emotional or cathartic during the making of the album?

R. We are married, but at the same time we are best friends. We can tell each other anything and don’t shy away from criticizing each other. Because we have set up our studio at home, we can work on music at any time. Alone or together, whatever suits us. Of course there are emotional moments. Especially when a track gives us goosebumps at the same time. I think especially with the songs “Your Eyes” and “Two Souls” we felt a sense of deep connection…

S. The male/female vocal interplay is a core element of your sound. How do you approach balancing your voices and perspectives in the music? Are there specific tracks on “0609” where you feel this dynamic really shines?

R. That’s a tough question! My favorite on the album is “Your Eyes.” The song is based on Andrea’s voice. My voice can only be heard in the background during the chorus. Where a female voice is needed or rather a male voice, we also use it. Andrea finds the outro of the album, the song “0609”, particularly successful. Here both voices appear in a balanced ratio…

S. This album celebrates not only your relationship but also your dedication to the EBM genre. How do you see your sound evolving on “0609,” and what were your main influences or inspirations while working on this album?

R. I think we have undergone a lot of development in the last few years. Our songs seem (at least we think so) more grown-up, more mature than on the first albums. They are more classic, melodic old school EBM songs with a somewhat rough instrumentalization. We only use hardware synthesizers, many of which are analog devices. This makes the sound warm and rich – and somehow everything sounds a little like electronics from the end of the 80s. I think this is a new quality feature of “0609”. We like that sound because we grew up with it. These are our sources of inspiration. Our song “The Evil God,” for example, makes me think a little of Bigod 20 with its sounds and samples, for example the tracks “Kreusch” and “The Big Bang.” I’m a big Bigod 20 fan. Or the sequencer runs on the songs “Heartbeat” and “By Your Side” could perhaps have come from Nitzer Ebb. Andrea has been a Nitzer Ebb fan since she was a child. Some of the sounds on “0609” sound a bit like Armageddon Dildos, which I was a keyboard player for on stage for years. Uwe Kanka, the mastermind of Armageddon Dildos, finally insisted on contributing the vocals for our song “Feel the Beat” in the chorus. We have been friends with Uwe for years; after all, Uwe is originally from Kassel, just like Andrea. They even attended the same school, except that Uwe learned there a bunch of years before Andrea (laugh).  I would perhaps mention Terence Fixmer and Miss Kittin as further influences – and of course Front 242 and Kraftwerk.

S. The album comes with a bonus CD featuring remixes by artists like ORANGE SECTOR, ZWEITE JUGEND, and even your side project RECTOR SCANNER. How did you decide which artists to collaborate with for these remixes, and how does it feel to have your music reinterpreted by others?

R. First of all, thank you again to all the remixers. Almost all of us know each others personally and are mostly friends with each other. Whenever we hear a remix for the first time, we are amazed at how different such new recordings are from the original and what new ideas the remixers have contributed. Since we know what our friends’ music sounds like with their own projects, we could already guess in advance which direction the mixes could go. With the Bodewell (Orange Sector) remix we knew it was going to be a club number that was going to be a blast. The TC 75 mix would be more ambient – and “Zweite Jugend” will sound like “Zweite Jugend”. “Aktion:Fiasko” definitely had to be there because the project is new, crisp and fresh. Franzi (the front woman) lives a few doors down from us. But we didn’t know that we would be presented with such a bright mix of “The Evil God” that will certainly attract attention in the club. The Miseria Ultima remix was also a big surprise because we had only known this band for a short time.

S. Considering the intimate nature of “0609” and your long-standing relationship as both partners and bandmates, how do you manage to maintain that balance between personal life and the creative energy needed for your music? 

R. For us, making music is part of our private lives. It mainly takes place on the weekends, after dinner on Friday or Saturday evening. If the creative energy isn’t there, we do something different: we meet up with friends, go to concerts, or go to readings in my favorite bookstore “Otherland” in Berlin Kreuzberg where we gather strength and find new ideas.

S. As you celebrate this milestone with “0609,” what does the future hold for AD:KEY? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or special plans that fans can look forward to?

R. Of course we pause for a moment when a project like a new album that we have been working on for almost 4 years is finished. It’s like closing a book you’ve read. And then you look around for something new, you look around and start the next project. We will definitely play some concerts, for example in March 2025 at the E-Only Festival in Leipzig. We have some remixes in the pipeline for other bands. There are already a few song ideas for our Rector Scanner project. In the future there will be a new Rector Scanner album. At the moment we are planning another AD:keY single from the current album, which should be released in the next months.  Another AD:keY song is also finished, which was originally supposed to be on the album “0609”, but ultimately didn’t fit thematically. This song was sung by Martin Bodewell (Orange Sector). We also want to release this song somewhere!  Andrea has also been active as a guest singer with VillaBorghese (side project of Ex Trial / Trilogy) in recent months and will certainly be heard there more often. In addition, Andrea is planning a project that she would like to launch together with exclusively female musicians, including Franzi from Aktion:Fiasko and Lily from MDS 51. Female Electronic Music – “FEM”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Today the German EBM pop duo AD:keY releases a new double-CD album, “0609”, on Alfa Matrix. The duo, recently married Andrea and Rene Nowotny, matched the album’s title with the release date of the album: “0609” aka September 6th.

You can order the album now on Bandcamp as download and on 2CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore.

This is AD:keY’s seventh album. In “0609”, the duo reflects their deep bond as a married couple and as bandmates. Expect strong old-school EBM basslines, catchy synth melodies, and addictive choruses.

As a special treat, the album includes an 11-track bonus CD featuring alternative versions and remixes by friends such as Martin Bodewell (Orange Sector), To Avoid, Digital Factor, Miseria Ultima, Zweite Jugend, TC 75, Aktion:Fiasko, and their side-project Rector Scanner. Additionally, enjoy a special guest vocal contribution from Uwe Kanka, frontman of the cult act and label mates Armageddon Dildos.

About AD:keY

AD:keY, the German EBM pop duo, consists of Andrea and Rene Nowotny, who formed the band in 2006 as a side project.

Their first album, “Thema Nummer Eins”, was released on November 21, 2008, under the Electric Tremor Dessau label. This album featured tracks like “Alkohol” and “Hass Mich”, which helped establish their presence in the EBM scene. Following this, they released “A Deutschmaschine” on April 30, 2010, which included hits like “Deutschmaschine” and “Hölle”. Their third album, “Sharp Cuts”, came out on November 2, 2012, and included tracks such as “Haut” and “Prolet”.

In 2014, AD:keY released “Reanimator” on May 9, featuring songs like “Mein Weg” and “Maschinen”. Two years later, on June 10, 2016, they released “D’Accord”, with tracks like “D’Accord” and “Der Letzte Tanz”. Their sixth album, “Herz und Verstand”, was released on April 20, 2018, and included songs like “Herz und Verstand” and “In Mein Herz”. Most recently, on September 18, 2020, they released “Resonanz”, featuring tracks such as “Maschinenliebe” and “Revolte”.

The band is signed to the Belgian label Alfa Matrix.

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.

www.side-line.com

Alfa Matrix, the renowned Belgian label, commemorates its 22nd anniversary with yet another mastodont compilation on Bandcamp. The latest installment in the acclaimed “Matrix Downloaded” series, titled “Matrix+ Downloaded 011”, is now available as a free download on their Bandcamp page. Packed with 60 tracks, including new signings and a preview of the upcoming Spleen+ label releases, this compilation showcases Alfa Matrix’s diverse music repertoire.

“Matrix+ Downloaded 011” soared to the top of the industrial Bandcamp charts within hours of its release, claiming the coveted number 1 position.

The collection holds 60 tracks in total including several new signings. These are the bands present on this brand new free download compilation: Hanging Freud, The Ultimate Dreamers, The Breath Of Life, Psy’Aviah Feat. Sorrow Stories, ImJudas, Star Industry, Halo In Reverse, Lovelorn Dolls, The True Union, Freakangel, Avarice In Audio, Siva Six, Alien Vampires, Synapsyche, Helalyn Flowers, Neuroactive, Elektrostaub Feat. Stefan Netschio, Technoir, Entrzelle, Llumen, Noemi Aurora, Aiboforcen Feat. Jan D., Reichsfeind, Mondträume Feat. N-Frequency, The Psychic Force, Digital Factor, Implant, Darkness On Demand, Aesthetische, Komor Kommando Vs. The True Union, Matthew Creed, C-Lekktor, First Aid Tech, Pouppee Fabrikk, ELM, Die Robo Sapiens, Plastic Noise Experience, Armageddon Dildos, Stahlgeist, AD:keY, Kant Kino, Suicidal Romance, Miseria Ultima, First Aid 4 Souls, Neikka RPM, Circumpolar, Venal Flesh, Helle9, Diffuzion, Acylum, Circuito Cerrado, Aengeldust, Studio-X, 808 Dot Pop, Cubic, Metroland, Rector Scanner, Elektroklänge, Cosmic Armchair, Lights A.M.

You can download “Matrix+ Downloaded 011” for free via Bandcamp.

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.

www.side-line.com

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

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: The last year released third album “Teleskop” brought German duo Rector Scanner back on the map. Andrea and René Nowotny -still involved with AD:Key strike back again with three new songs.

Content: The new stuff sounds in the prolongation of “Teleskop”; pure Minimal-Electro-Pop which I often define as ‘Kraftwerk-Pop’. The songs are made of retro elements with a very personal touch on top while driven by robotic vocals. We next get 5 remixes which by the exception of the 808 Dot.Pop-remix have been all accomplished by the duo -featuring 2 remixes of their other alter-ego AD:Key.

+ + + : “Teleskop” was a great album and “Fluormenschen” holds on to the same qualitative level. Rector Scanner isn’t exactly an innovative band and yet they have something refreshing and very personal. All new songs are sonic jewels, which could be all title tracks. I’ve a preference for “Technosignaturen” which sounds more into Minimalism. I also notice great remixes, but here again it’s the “Extended Mix” of “Technosignaturen” which gets my preference.

– – – : No real minus points to mention, but quite curiously the title track isn’t my favorite one.

Conclusion: Rector Scanner stands for efficient, sexy and retro-futuristic Electro-Pop music!

Best songs: “Technosignaturen”, “Wand Aus Glas”, “Fluormenschen – Single Edit”, “Technosignaturen – Extended Mix”, “Fluormenschen – Remix by AD:Key”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/rectorscanner

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 on Bandcamp is the extremely attractive 8-track EP “Fluormenschen ” by the Berlin-based vintage electronic project Rector Scanner. The EP follows the release of their comeback album “Radioteleskop” and its various related EP releases.

The band offers vintage electronic music with vocoders and German-sung synth music, which is basically a very well-made mixture of Kraftwerk’s robotic electronics, And One’s danceable techno pop and Welle:Erdball’s 80’s melodic mechanical synthpop touch.

Rector Scanner is – for those who didn’t know – the retro science-fiction pop side-project of the EBM duo AD:keY consisting of Andrea and Rene Nowotny.

The 8-track new EP reveals 3 new songs plus a couple of self-made remixes, including more dancefloor EBM-pop oriented versions by their alter-ego project AD:keY, while Belgian label mates 808 DOT POP also contribute with a vintage-synth-pop remix of the title song.

A must have in your collection!

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.

www.side-line.com

Today Belgium’s electronica pop act 808 DOT POP launched their newest single “Suncatcher” in no less than four 3-track EP versions via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page. For the single Passenger S worked together with Lis van den Akker.

“Catching The Sun” as well as “Looking For The Sun” are songs originally from the hand of label mate Psy’Aviah. They were re-arranged by 808 DOT POP during the summer of 2021 to coincide with “Bittersweet”, the celebration album for the 20 years of Psy’Aviah.

As explained, this 3-track EP is part of a series of 4 different releases revealing the same songs each time from an all-new sonic perspective and offering them a different shed of light.

Next to the normal version you also get the “(Extended)” version of the EP bringing 3 extended versions clocking up to 8 minutes. The “(Remixed)” version of the EP will please DJ’s by letting 3 other artists remixing one EP song: label mates Rector Scanner and Elektrostaub, plus a trance remix by Tom Bro. Finally, the 4th version is the “(Lectreau)” version and features a unique set of ‘Lectreau’ versions (the side project of Passenger S his Metroland partner in crime Passenger A).

You can check out all 4 singles right below 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.

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Genre/Influences: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: “Alles Wird Gold” must be the thirteenth full length album by German EBM formation Orange Sector. Lars Felker and Martin Bodewell have been joined by René Nowotny (AD:KeY, Rector scanner) since the previous album “Alarm” (2019).

Content: The sound of Orange Sector brings us back to the early hours of EBM; short and aggressive songs carried by solid bass lines and linear, danceable kicks. The alluring vocals sound like commanding people to dance.

+ + + : Orange Sector has been often linked to DAF, but more than ever before this opus sounds like being touched by the legacy of DAF. I heard the work as an ode to Gabi Delgado and I think wherever he is, he must be reassured EBM will never die. This work sounds like a great vintage production driven by short, but powerful songs. Next to the already familiar “Angstmann”, “Gold” is another terrific piece of EBM. 

– – – : Orange Sector doesn’t reinvent EBM, but is it really necessary when you’ve the skills to compose such a great piece of kicking music. It’s just a pity the album is only featuring more or less 30 minutes of music.

Conclusion: “Alles Wird Gold” reminds us of the essence of EBM; no tricks, no complexity, but just hard-hitting songs to make you dance!

Best songs: “Gold”, “Angstmann”, “Fick Dich”, “The Work Is Done”, “Te Amo”.

Rate: 8½ .

Artist: www.facebook.com/OrangeSector

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.

Background/Info: This second EP of “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All” brings eight more songs by Rector Scanner and the recently released album “Radioteleskop”.

Content: Both debut songs are exactly the same as on the first EP. We next get an alternative edit of “Radioteleskop” followed by the exclusive and more EBM-inspired “Sattelit”. Next comes the remix section by 808 Dot Pop, Ma=st+er and 2 remixes by Rector Scanner.

+ + + : If you like the first EP of “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All”, you for sure also gone like this one. The title song followed by “Radioteleskop – Danse Robotique” and the harder exclusive “Sattelit” are well-crafted pieces of vintage Kraftwerk-ian Pop music. The remixes are adding some alternative versions and even extra influences like the minimal edit by 808 Dot Pop and the Dance-Trance remix of “Epsilon Tucanae” by Ma=st+er.

– – – : Both remixes by Rector Scanner aren’t the most convincing ones from the series, but in the end you don’t hear me complaining.

Conclusion: Both EP’s from “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All” are perfectly complementary; like perfect twins for a great Electro-Pop project.

Best songs: “Radioteleskop – Danse Robotique”, “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All – Single Edit”, “Epsilon Tucanae – Single Mix”, “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All – 808 Dot Mix”, “Sattelit”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/rectorscanner

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: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Driven by the German EBM veteran René Nowotny (AD:KeY), this year Rector Scanner returned with the excellent album “Radioteleskop”. This EP is part of a ‘twin-EPs’ release getting us back to some of the main songs from the album.

Content: Next to the title song, you’ll also hear a “Single Edit” and/or alternative edits of the songs “Epsilon Tucanae” and “Utopia”. These songs perfectly illustrate the retro-Pop approach, reminding me of the genius of Kraftwerk with an extra, bouncing touch on top. The robotic vocals –also featuring Andrea Nowotny, accentuate the vintage style of the work. We next get an instrumental exclusive song and finally 3 remixes of the title song. Metroland and Datapop have been given the job while René Nowotny accomplished one remix as well.

+ + + : First of all I should say the EP features some of the hottest songs from the album. It also is a perfect way to discover Rector Scanner and its own interpretation of Kraftwerk-ian Pop music. The songs are meticulously composed and I should say it’s an intelligent and ultra catchy retro-sound. René Nowotny is much more than an EBM composer, but also a talented Electro-Pop artist. He also made a great remix of the title song while I also have to mention the darker and more bombastic edit by Metroland.

– – – : The instrumental “Sternenschiffe” is the single new song from the EP, but not exactly the most successful one.

Conclusion: This EP is a great addition to the album “Radioteleskop”.

Best songs: “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All – Single Edit”, “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All – Andromendanebel”, “Epsilon Tucanae – Single Mix”, “Utopia – Part II Tribute to Iwan Jefremow”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/rectorscanner

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

Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, … all have released 10 new streaming albums and EPs this morning from the Belgian Alfa Matrix label from artists such as Armageddon Dildos, Circumpolar, Cubic, Elektrostaub, First Aid 4 Souls, Imjudas, Rector Scanner, Siva Six and Suicidal Romance.

All in all a mix of good oldschool darkwave, EBM, synthpop, electropop, industrial and harsh electro.

If your prefer HQ audio downloads, then you can head for the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page where are all available as well since a few days.

Below are the releases in alphabetic band-order. Enjoy!

Armageddon Dildos – Destruction EP

Circumpolar – Awaiting The Dawn

Cubic – Phonic Lessons Part 3 EP

Elektrostaub – Reliance

First Aid 4 Souls – Beyond The Galaxy (Rework)

ImJudas – Ritual EP

Rector Scanner – Das Mädchen Aus Dem All EP I

Rector Scanner – Das Mädchen Aus Dem All EP II

Siva Six – Deathcult

Suicidal Romance – Love Promise EP

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

The Berlin-based vintage electronic project Rector Scanner (the retro electropop side-project of the EBM duo AD:keY) has released two complementary twin-EP’s today under the title “Das Mädchen aus dem All”.

Both EPs are available now on the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp.

The EP1 edition offers 6 new versions/remixes of tracks taken from the band’s recent comeback album “Radioteleskop” plus the exclusive instrumental “Sternenschiffe”. Besides the single and maxi versions of the title song you also get upbeat remixes by Datapop, Metroland, plus new editions of “Utopia” and “Epsilon Tucanae”.

The EP2 edition offers 7 new versions/remixes of tracks taken from “Radioteleskop” plus the exclusive “Sattelit”. Included are 3 versions of the title song featuring an extended remix by 808 Dot Pop, a Düsseldorf-like mix of “Radioteleskop” next to 3 different takes of the song “Epsilon Tucanae” including a techno dance remix by Berlin electro musician and producer Eric Masch, who operates here under the name “MA = ST + ER”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Rector Scanner  was the first project set up by René Nowotny. Known from his EBM project AD:KeY, Rector Scanner is driven by the sound and influence of Kraftwerk. Active since 1997, René Nowotny this year released the third album of his sonic brainchild on Alfa Matrix. “Radioteleskop” is a great and intelligent work, which became a conceptual opus inspired by René’s fascination for sci/fi literature. There also is a second disc featuring remixes by AD:KeY, Massiv In Mensch, Metroland, Merry Chicklit, Letal 30 and 808 Dot.Pop.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: We all know you from your involvement with AD:KeY although Rector Scanner was your first project ever. You don’t release new work at regular basis with Rector Scanner so what does this project mean to you and how does it feel getting back to your first love?

René: Rector Scanner is my very own ‘baby‘. On one hand, I made my first steps here in the production of Electronic music and, on the other hand, I was able to realize all those ideas that did not fit into any specific box. Here I was and am completely free; I can let off steam and do whatever I want. It’s a great feeling to finally have a new Rector Scanner album in my hands after a long time. 

Q: I’m always fascinated by artists getting involved with different projects/bands. What makes the difference(s) to you between the projects and do you need any kind of preparation and/or mental spirit to work on it?

René: Actually there is not much difference to AD:KeY, only that I can implement my own ideas completely independently at Rector Scanner without having to take Andrea into consideration. Of course, she also influences the songs at Rector Scanner. After all, she contributed to a number of ideas, wrote the lyrics fort wo songs of the new album and is featured on several tracks with her vocals. But she has no right of veto. There are phases when I like to work alone in the studio -and sometimes I find it nice to exchange ideas about what I’m doing and ask for opinions.

Q: Over now to the new album “Radioteleskop”. What has been the ‘click’ to start composing this new album and tell us a bit more about the subjects, which seem getting back to the origins of human mankind? Is it a conceptual work?

René: Yes, “Radioteleskop” is a conceptual album. The idea for it had slumbered in me for years. There are two things that strongly influenced me with “Radioteleskop”: my love for science fiction literature and my admiration for the band Kraftwerk.

I have been reading science fiction novels since I was a child and I have a large collection of books in my private library. And I know that many people will immediately turn up their noses when they read these lines, because they immediately think of “Star Wars“; of lightsabers and spaceship battles and space monsters. But such stories don’t interest me.

Perhaps I should rather say that I like Social Fiction; great world designs that anticipate the future of mankind and deal critically with the present, such as the books by Neil Stephenson, Kim Stanley Robinson, or the great authors of the East: the Strugatzki brothers or Stanislaw Lem.

Above all, my favorite author Ivan Yefremov had a great influence on the Rector Scanner album. In his great novel “Andromedanebel” –in “Das Mädchen aus dem All”, he describes a future communist society that, despite all progress, is not free from problems. This novel was the template for some of the songs that can be heard on “Radioteleskop”.

We are constantly on the lookout; it is curiosity that drives mankind to the stars. In books and novels we long for discovery, for communication with other civilizations. In science we observe the sky with the same longing, hear and see into space with radio telescopes and send probes to distant celestial bodies. I wanted to put this passion into music with the Rector Scanner album.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the writing of the album; the equipment you used, the different stages of song writing, vocals- and global production?

René: A lot of synthesizers have accumulated in our studio over the past few years. I particularly like to use the Waldorf MicroQ and the Waldorf Pulse 2. The Waldorf STVC vocoder and the Arturia MicroFREAK were responsible for the electronic voices. Many analog synthesizers such as Behringer’s ModelD, the Deepmind 6 or the Neutron can be heard very often on “Radioteleskop”. But it would be going too far to name all the devices.

The work on the album was not a continuous process, but dragged on over several years. The oldest song on the album is track number 11, “Stories About A Blue Planet”. He is well over 10 years old. Other songs were created during a recording session for an AD:KeY album. Originally, “Maschinen Sind Treu” was an AD:KeY song. But we then added more and more playful elements, including a Kraftwerk-reminiscent snare drum ‘Tschakkk‘. So we gave the song new lyrics and it became a Rector Scanner song.

During the lockdown in winter 2020/2021, when we were stuck in the studio, we wrote the last 5 songs. I think you can hear that when you look at “The Girl From Space”, “Epsilon Tucanae” and “Utopia”. They belong together both in terms of content and music. I consciously say ‚we‘ because Andrea and I were stuck in the apartment -and we had to keep ourselves busy somehow. We worked on AD:KeY and Rector Scanner songs in parallel.

Q: Compared to previous releases there’s a noticeable evolution in the artwork of the new album -and the EP “Der Dichter Und Die Frau”. What makes this evolution and in, which way is there a connection between the concept and the artwork?

René: For AD:KeY we do the artwork completely ourselves. For the Rector Scanner publications we have given the artwork to an artist, Thomas Franke. Thomas Franke is a graphic artist, book illustrator and theater actor. I met him years ago at a vernissage where his work was exhibited and I was totally enthusiastic about him and his work. Without further ado, I asked him if he would make some of his work for Rector Scanner available to me. After he listened to our music, we agreed. Thomas Franke had already designed the artwork for the second Rector Scanner album “Herzschlag” -and since we had developed a friendship, we just continued our collaboration.

There is always a connection between the concept and the work of art, simply through the fact that one consciously chooses an image or a graphic. Thomas Franke’s work has a high recognition value, which is associated with the music. If you look at the artwork, you link it to the music -and vice versa. I think we made an excellent choice to give our music a fantastic image.

Q: The EP “Der Dichter Und Die Frau” is only available as digital work. What do you think about this ‘digital era’ wherein less physical productions are released? Does it have an influence and/or impact on your artistic work? What do you expect from the future and what are the further plans with Rector Scanner?

René: I am aware that modern times rely on modern technologies. Digital publications are very efficient. You have instant access to music anywhere, anytime, anywhere in the world.

However, I love physical records, which is possibly due to the fact that I am still a ‘Stone Age‘ collector and hunter deep down. We humans want to own something, touch something and show it as a trophy. Actually, this is no longer necessary. We have everything on the smartphone or in the cloud and on the web. But I still feel that way.

However, it is also a fact that music is consumed differently through digital media than it was in the days of CDs or vinyl records. Albums in the classic sense follow a structure and have a dynamic like a play. While listening to the music, you look at the artwork, turn pages through the booklet, read texts.

All of this no longer works like this due to digital consumption. It’s all about clicks and downloads. There is no longer a total work of art.

However, this has hardly any influence on my artistic work. I enjoy producing music -even if I’m my only listener.

This year there will be a double download EP “Das Mädchen aus dem All” with 7 tracks each. We are also working on a new AD:KeY album and you won’t have to wait 7 years for a new Rector Scanner album. (laugh)

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, Body-Pop.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Set up in 1997 by Rene Nowotny –who’s actually more known from his involvement with the EBM project AD:Key, Rector Scanner doesn’t release new material on a regular basis. “Radioteleskop” is the third album by the German artist, which is inspired by sci/fi and the origins of mankind and outer space life forms. The album features eleven songs plus eleven extra songs/remixes on the extra disc. 

Content: Rector Scanner is clearly inspired by vintage Electronics, which might remind bands like Kraftwerk and Welle:Erdball. The songs have been achieved with space-like bleeps and atmospheres –which totally fits the concept, while the harder songs feature an EBM touch on top. The vocals have been produced with a robotic effect while you also will notice female backings.

The second disc reveals a few alternative edits and an important load of remixes from AD:Key, Massiv In Mensch, Metroland, Merry Chicklit, Letal 30 and 808 Dot.Pop.

+ + + : Scanner brings vintage Electro with a refreshing approach. The sound isn’t innovative and yet, this ‘time-travel’ approach has something magic. The songs are well-crafted featuring great sequences and solid sound treatments, and also great atmospheres. The robotic effect on top of the vocals accentuates the retro-approach of the work. The opening part of the album is simply brilliant. You will (re)discover the EP-title song “Der Dichter Und Die Frau”, but also other great songs like the title song plus “Die Eisigen Ufer Des Titan”, “Minus 180 Grad (Celsius)” and “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All”. Among the remixes I noticed great contributions from AD:Key transforming “Radioteleskop” into a solid EBM piece, Massiv In Mensch putting their sonic stamp on the title song and Metroland revisiting “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All” in a minimal format.

– – – : The first part of the album is absolutely phenomenal while the second part is more stagnating and sometimes becoming a bit repetitive.

Conclusion: Rector Scanner is back on track with an intelligent, uplifting and alluring Electro-Pop work.

Best songs: “Radioteleskop”, “Der Dichter Und Die Frau”, “Die Eisigen Ufer Des Titan”, “Minus 180 Grad (Celsius)”, “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All” + “Radioteleskop – AD:keY Wow!-Signal Mix 3”, “Radioteleskop – Remix By Massiv In Mensch”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/rectorscanner

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

Founded in 1997, Rector Scanner was actually the very first music project of Berlin-based artist Rene Nowotny who then redirected all his energy over the last years on his more EBM-oriented band AD:keY together with his wife Andrea.

Anno 2021, Rector Scanner returns to reveal their much anticipated 3rd studio album “Radioteleskop”, a 2CD set. The first CD holds 11 new songs that offer vintage electronic music with vocoders and German-sung synth music in line with Welle:Erdball and And One. The songs on this release are strongly influenced by science and social fiction literature from the early 20th century and novelists in the likes of Russian author Ivan Yefremov.

The second CD features another 11 tracks which are exclusive versions and diverse collaborations with Metroland, 808 Dot Pop, Massiv In Mensch, AD:keY, Letal 30 as well as a featuring of the toitronic electropunk diva Merry Chicklit.

Also notice the design work by artist, illustrator and theatre actor Thomas Franke.

You can check out all the new tracks below. The limited edition 2CD (there is no 1CD version) set can be ordered via the Alfa Matrix webstore, and the download version via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Back in the good old days, Side-Line online had a weekly newsletter that was sent to over 40.000 people. And when we say back in the good old days, we mean 1999. That’s 22 years ago. Time flies… When in 2004 our provider back then stopped, we were unable to continue the service as we found no new provider able to send that newsletter on a weekly basis at a reasonable price.

22 years later Audioglobe’s Sebastian Koch suddenly mentioned that good old newsletter during a quick chat back and forth. He missed that newsletter where he could find some relevant info on the scene. His comment triggered us to look for a good partner in order to relaunch that very service and at the same time also look for a better solution for our daily newsletter which currently services a rather large readership of thousands of people worldwide. We say a ‘better solution’ because let’s be honest, what Feedburner offers currently is extremely poor when it comes to usability, options, etc.. And that for a Google owned company, you would think they’d do a better job, but no.

On a side-note, we ditched Google’s Adsense a few years ago as well, because they started intervening in the content of our site. Although they claim never to intervene in what publishers publish, we were regularly asked to take down articles of Apoptygma Berserk, Front 242, VNV Nation, Rammstein, Acylum, … because they didn’t like the content or images. Censorship at its best, and when we were asked to censor an article on Kant Kino, we called it quits and removed Adsense from our pages, enough was enough.

Now, back to the newsletters solution.

New design and the relaunch of the weekly newsletter as well

With our new partner we are now able to offer you a very slick design, a Facebook follower even called it ‘chic’. We offer you a preview of the new newsletter below (here split up in 3 segments so you see how the whole newsletter looks like).

As you can see the new look is very much in line with our website: simple, clear, clean… and no ads.

The biggest change will however be the relaunch of our weekly newsletter. You can subscribe to either the daily or the weekly newsletter OR you can sign up for both if you want to.

You can sign up below.

You will also have noticed if you visited our website in the past few days that there is a ‘slide in’ sign up form which appears after you have passed 50% of a page, also this one. It features the German EBM band Rector Scanner who was so kind to allow us to use this specific promo picture.

Over time other bands will be invited to offer a picture as well. So look out for some nice cameos.

Good to know, for those who don’t want to subscribe, it won’t be popping up all the time, only every 2 weeks if you didn’t sign up. We might adjust this depending on the feedback we get.

What happens with my old subscription?

Good question. First of all, the older weekly newsletter subscribers will get an email to resubscribe. All 40.000+ emails from our very first weekly newsletter have been checked for their validity and so far a bit more than 24.000 are still valid. If you were part of that newsletter, and your email is still valid, you will receive an email to sign up again in the next week.

As for the daily newsletter, we are currently also testing if the Feedburner emails are still active, something Feedburner never managed properly. Actually, Google never bothered to check it and kept all emails active, even the ones that bounced. This is actually a pure disgrace, but since we are leaving the Google platform for good, let’s look to the bright future ahead instead.

If the test this Monday evening, that’s today, goes well, the daily newsletter subscribers from Feedburner will be transferred automatically to the new service. But if we encounter too many bounces in the testmail that goes out, we will send out an email to the current subscribers here as well to sign up for the new daily newsletter so that we don’t run the risk to get flagged for spam due to too many bounces.

Note that all new signups will again be double opt-in, this to avoid spam and to avoid bounces.

The future is bright, the future is away from Facebook

As said before, we have no reason to believe that Facebook will be getting friendlier for indie (music) publishers. So we continue to work on own channels to get the news out just like we have been doing over the past 22 years.

A few weeks ago we already officially launched the web push notification service which has been rapidly adopted by our readers, and now we launch our newest newsletters in a rebooted version and will continue to develop other platforms such as our Telegram channel to make sure that readers get the news they want.

Our priority will be given to work on the platforms where we really are sure that people get correctly informed without having a sh*t load of ads to wade through so to speak.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The Berlin based Record Scanner electropop act is finally back after 15 long years of new studio silence. Founded in 1997, Rector Scanner is the first electropop project of Berlin-based artist Rene Nowotny who focused all his energy over the last years on his more EBM-oriented band AD:keY together with his wife Andrea.

This new EP announces Rector Scanner’s 3rd studio album “Radioteleskop“ and reveals new material for the very first time after some 15 years of dormancy.

This new EP – available now via Bandcamp and other platforms – will please all fans of vintage electronic music with vocoders as well as German-sung synth pop music like Welle:Erdball, And One and more.

The artwork for the EP was made by artist, illustrator and theatre actor Thomas Franke and based on the artwork “Trauer 1: Pieta des Lichtbringers vor seiner telefonischen Chattung mit der Äonenleier…”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

It has been a hectic year, also for Alfa Matrix, but luckily their bands took the time to work in their studio to record new material. Out now via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page is the label’s 10th edition in the “Matrix Downloaded” compilation series, again offering you a – free – insight in what the Belgian label is all about. You can discover 64 tracks right here on Bandcamp.

The download holds tracks from Cubic, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetische, Digital Factor, Reichsfeind, Llumen, Zombie Girl, Diffuzion, Matthew Creed, Circuito Cerrado, Circumpolar, Venal Flesh, Mentallo & The Fixer, Freakangel, Alien Vampires, I:Scintilla, Schwarzblut, Totem Obscura, Reactor7X, First Aid 4 Souls, Lederman / De Meyer, Implant, AD:keY, Kant Kino, Die Robo Sapiens, ELM, Pouppee Fabrikk, Armageddon Dildos, Plastic Noise Experience, Synapsyche, Avarice In Audio, Elektrostaub, Junksista, First Aid 4 Souls, Benestrophe, Mental Exile, Star Industry, Halo In Reverse, Lovelorn Dolls, Helalyn Flowers, Essence Of Mind, Rector Scanner, Elektroklänge, Metroland, Lights A.M, Cosmic Armchair, Aiboforcen, H.O.W., 808 DOT POP, Suicidal Romance, Entrzelle, Technoir, Neuroactive, Mondträume, The Psychic Force, Studio-X, Studio-X Vs Simon Carter, Neikka RPM, Komor Kommando, Siva Six, Aengeldust, Acylum, Dunkelwerk and Növö.

Exclusive face masks

Next to that you can also get the download together with a face mask, out in a very limited series. You can either buy them separately or get all 3 in one. Check the set of 3 Face Masks (Blue Matrix + Endzeit + Red EBM Alert) or the separate masks.

Note that EVERY face mask order comes with a free compilation CD on top: “Sounds from the matrix 022” with 20 extra tracks.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Set up in 2007 by René and Andrea Nowotny AD: KEY rapidly became a noticeable band in the ‘old-school’ EBM style. The band’s debut works were released by the now defunct Electric Tremor Dessau (a true reference in this music genre) while they next signed to Emmo.biz, which is another label that is no longer active. The German duo finally joined hands together with Belgian label Alfa Matrix. They this year released their sixth full length album “Resonanz”. It remains an EBM experience although AD: KEY experienced with new elements so this work is maybe opening new paths for René and Andrea.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries) 

Q: “Resonanz” is your sixth full length album. How do you look back at the writing and production of this album and what is it all about?

Rene: “Resonanz” is primarily about interpersonal relationships. We tried to reflect on daily life; less our own lives than what we hear, see and read.

Andrea: It’s about love and hate, about hurt vanities. But also about problems such as sexual harassment, where every woman is sure to have had her unpleasant experience. This is exactly what our song “Ich Will, Dass Du Jetzt Gehst” is about, for example.

Q: I experienced “Resonanz” as your most sophisticated and maybe mature work to date. How do you explain the evolution in sound? Is it just growing experience & maturity or still a will to experience with new sounds, equipment and ideas?

Rene: The fact that “Resonanz” sounds a little different from the previous albums has several reasons. At first, our goal was not to repeat ourselves over and over again. This time we wanted to push the EBM attitude a bit into the background and work more song-oriented. We are also constantly looking for interesting sounds. And since we’re fans of the 70s and 80s electronics, we went the opposite way that many other bands take. We didn’t want to use modern equipment or software, but analog synthesizers. So we rebuilt our studio and bought a lot of new / old equipment.

Andrea: We are also older (except me):-D, maybe more mature.

Q: The song “Electro Musik” sounds to me as a homage to DAF and Gaby Delgado. What did you try to express with this song and do you want to say something about the tragic loss of Gaby who definitely belongs to the icons of EBM?

Andrea: Gabi Delgado’s death in Spring hit us hard. I’m a big DAF fan -Gabi and Robert‘s music has always had a certain influence on AD: keY. Then we made a cover version of “Verschwende Deine Jugend”, because this song speaks to us from our hearts. Maybe someday we will release this cover version.

Rene: Our song “Electro Musik” was written a few months before Gabi’s death. The song is the result of a jam session that we did together with Axel Machens from Placebo Effect in the AD: keY studio. We wanted to test one of my new synthesizers -and Axel had his Korg MS 20 -a synthesizer that DAF used very often. In principle, the basic structure of “Electro Music” was ready that evening. The song name speaks for itself -a nod to the roots of electronic music.

Q: I always link EBM with energetic live performances so I can imagine it must be frustrating because of Covid-19 to no longer play on stage. What are you feelings about this situation and how do you expect to see things evolving?

Rene: Yeah. It is very frustrating not to be able to go to any more concerts and not be able to play any more live concerts. We miss that very much. But in September this year we were very lucky to be able to perform at the NCN Festival for a concert under strict hygiene rules. It was an indescribably good feeling.

Andrea: But we see the need to implement these tough restrictions. We hope that the situation will improve in the foreseeable future. But this COVID 19 virus doesn’t just go away on its own. So we retired to the studio and work on new music. There will be a new AD: keY EP in December.

Rene: At the same time, I’m working on my side project, a new RECTOR SCANNER album that is due to be released next year.

Q: René, you’re still pretty close with ARMAGEDDON DILDOS and became member of ORANGE SECTOR too. What’s your input with these other bands and is there something like a big German EBM family?

Rene: Yes, I’m good friends with Uwe from the ARMAGEDDON DILDOS. Nothing has changed about that, even if I‘m no longer a live member. We sometimes stil work together making music. Uwe recently made a remix for AD: keY and I did a mix for ARMAGEDDON DILDOS. Uwe has always been a kind of musical mentor to me, and I value his opinion very much.

With ORANGE SECTOR it’s a lot of fun on stage. It’s just as great as it was with the ARMAGEDDON DILDOS. Martin, the mastermind of ORANGE SECTOR, produces the songs and the basic concept. The main work is up to him. He sends the files to me, I add my files and tracks and he mixes everything together.

Overall, one can say that the EBM / Electro scene in Germany is kind of a big family. Because the scene is relatively clear, you know each other, respect each other and are friends.

Q: How do you see AD:KEY evolving towards the next few years? What might we expect and what are you still dreaming of?

Rene: I don’t know how AD: keY will develop in the coming years. We are open to new influences because we don’t want to limit ourselves. We like to experiment. AD: keY will always sound like AD: keY. We stay true to our basic sound.

Andrea: In any case, we will start a new AD: keY album in 2021. We just let ourselves go -and we’ll see what comes out of it in the end.

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 a brand new single by AD:keY vs. Die Robo Sapiens (the 100% electro project of Die Krupps members): “Master and Servant“. The EP is based on the cover the two acts made for the recent tribute compilation to Depeche Mode: “Alfa Matrix re:covered vol.3” and is available now via Bandcamp.

The 7-track EP holds AD:keY’s characteristic male/female vocal duality wrapped around the voice of Jurgen Engler. Besides the single and extended versions, you also get alternative and diverse remix versions by Implant, Aesthetische, Rector Scanner, Zweite Jugend and Maschinenwart.

Good to know, the Bandcamp edition – which is out first – features the uncensored version of the cover artwork. You can check out the EP below.

If you want to check out the full Depeche Mode tribute from where the single was taken, see 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.

side-line.com

Set up in 1992 by the Hannover duo Lars Felker – Martin Bodewell, Orange Sector would rapidly conquer the EBM community. They got signed on Zoth Ommog and released the astonishing debut album “Faith” (1993). One year later they stroke back with the impressive “Flashback”-album. Lars finally left the band and Martin went on releasing new works while experimenting with some pop elements. Orange Sector finally stopped all activities at the end of the 90s, but came back alive in 2005 for the compilation “Here We Are (Back Again)”. Lars Felker and Martin Bodewell joined hands again and started to release new albums. They moved back to their hard and original EBM sound. “Alarm” released on Infacted Recordings is their newest work featuring René Nowotny (Ad:Key, Rector Scanner) as extra member. I got in touch with the band’s main machinist Lars Felker.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Alarm” is your twelfth full length album. What makes this work different and maybe ‘special’ from the other ones? 

Lars: The biggest difference is that ORANGE SECTOR now has three official band members. ORANGE SECTOR was Martin and me while René Nowotny was a live member during the time I stopped playing live shows. At the end of 2018 we played our first gig together as a trio. It was amazing on stage. René is now the official third member of Orange Sector and will play shows again. We also worked together on the new album. This is what makes it special. 

Q: “Alarm” has been announced as one of your most ‘political’ works to date and it clearly reflects some ‘hot items’ our society is actually going through. What did you want to express and what’s your personal perception of our ‘world’ today? 

Lars: It‘s our personal way to express what we feel and music is a good way to let things go and ‘clean’ thoughts and feelings for ourselves. We know that our music will not change people and not change the world. But I felt that I have to talk about the shit in the world and make my personal statement and show what Orange Sector stands for. People fought years and years for freedom and equal rights and now we made lots of steps backwards. 

Q: While you’re dealing with ‘serious’ themes, your music remains an ultra-danceable composition. Don’t you think it sounds a bit contradictory talking about serious subjects and seeing people dancing on it? 

Lars: I think it’s not a problem at all. Music for me is about feelings and freedom. When you dance to an agressive song with lyrics about something that keeps you busy…..it‘s liberating. The right lyrics make the song becoming your own song so you can get deeper in it.

Q: I already experienced your previous album “Night.Terrors” as being one of your hardest works, but “Alarm” is even harder and filled with rage! Both albums remind me to the early years of Orange Sector; straight forward and pure old-school EBM. Do you see similarities with the early period and how do you see your own evolution throughout the years? 

Lars: Yes, there’re a lot of similarities. We wanted to go back to the early period and make a record like this. It was really fun and this is Orange Sector. Life show us how an album has to sound, it‘s like a mirror. Our life is the biggest influence in our music. That‘s the reason why some records sound different. Orange sector is now much better than in the early years; we tried different things, but we are still the same band and each record sounds like Orange Sector. I think we found our own sound throughout the years. 

Q: I noticed an interesting post on your Facebook-page mentioning that you built a bridge between NZ and Infacted Recordings. What’s your link with NZ and is there a kind of EBM friendship between artists? What are your experiences here?

Lars: I didn‘t met them because I didn‘t play shows for some years. But Martin and René met them and I heard only good things about the guys. It‘s a kind of EBM friendship and I hope I will meet them the next time. We met lots of cool bands and are still in contact with them. Orange Sector is a relaxed band and we are uncomplicated, but we do this for more than 25 years right now and we decide with which band we go on tour or not. We don‘t like bands that behave like the next big superstars. 

Q: Your music stands for pure EBM, but I remember the album “Love It!” (1997) which clearly experimented with ‘pop’-elements. It remains your most surprising work to date, but how do you look back at “Love It!” today and would you ever think or consider experimenting with other influences than EBM ever?   

Lars: Oh yes… it was a special time for Orange Sector. I left the band and Martin tried to find his own way in music. So it doesn’t matter if we love it or hate it. This album stands for that special time and is part of the Orange Sector history. Who knows if other things should ever happened without this record. If it feels like being the right thing we would consider experimenting with other influences, but it would still sound like Orange Sector… like fucking EBM !!!!

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: EBM.

Background/Info: Jürgen Engler, Ralf Dörper and Marcel Zürcher aka Die Krupps have set up a new project named Die Robo Sapiens. There where Die Krupps always ends with electronics mixed with guitars, this new band wants to be 100% electronic and devoted to good-old EBM. This EP is a teaser to the debut album.

Content: The EP reveals 2 songs of Die Robo Sapiens plus 5 remixes. The songs are definitely inspired by good-old, vintage EBM. The sound formula is based upon solid bass lines, robotic effects and vocals plus rhythmic reminding me to Liaisons Dangereuses. The sound is pretty different from Die Krupps and definitely music for the EBM community.

Remixes were accomplished by Elektrolänge, Sebastian Komor,  Metroland, Armageddon Dildos and Rector Scanner.

+ + + : This debut EP reveals a strong potential and Jürgen Engler and his acolytes simply reveal (or confirm) to still have the secret formula to compose great EBM music. There clearly is a strong vintage flavor hanging over the songs, but it has been mixed with refreshing elements. It’s a new challenge for those experienced and renowned artists and the least I can say is that this work is fully accomplished and the perfect stuff for dancefloors.

Both songs are great although I’ve a preference for “Tanz Mit Dem Robotor”. There also is an interesting selection of remixers and I here have to mention the mind-blowing remix of “Teufelskreis” by Seb Komor. Armageddon Dildos also did a cool remix while Metroland as Belgian band reinforces the link with Kraftwerk.

– – – : There clearly is a move back to the roots of German electronics and more especially to EBM, but I hope the album will not become an emulation of Kraftwerk and co.  I regret this EP has been not released as CD format.

Conclusion: An EP is mainly meant as an appetizer before the release of an album. All I can say is that this is a strong and successful work announcing a promising album. This is the kind of record, which reminds me why I like EBM!

Best songs: “Tanz Mit Dem Roboter”, “Teufelskreis”, “Teufelskreis – Sebastian Komor Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/DieRoboSapiens

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 is the first official video for Die Robo Sapiens: “Tanz Mit Dem Roboter”. The track is taken from the project’s debut EP “Teufelskreis – Tanz Mit Dem Roboter”.

Die Robo Sapiens consists of the trio Jürgen Engler, Ralf Dörper and Marcel Zürcher and they have now released the download EP “Teufelskreis – Tanz Mit Dem Roboter” via the Bandcamp page of the Alfa Matrix label.

The EP sees the trio collaborating with the U.S. electro artist JG and the Robots, who also directed and can be seen in the Die Krupps video “Robo Sapien”. “Tanz Mit Dem Roboter” is a direct wink to the Düsseldorf synth origins of the band, reworked by label mates Rector Scanner, the vintage synth duo Metroland and the Swedish minimal electro pop talent of Elektroklänge.

“Teufelskreis” on the other hand got remixed by two other prominent figures from the EBM scene: Armageddon Dildos and Sebastian Komor (Icon Of Coil, Komor Kommando, …).

All in all 7 tracks which are clearly giving a foretaste of the band’s forthcoming album “Robo Sapien Race”. Check them out below or download them 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.

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As we previously announced, AD:keY returns with brand new 10th anniversary album, but before that Alfa Matrix has now re-released the full back catalogue of AD:keY and Rector Scanner via Spotify, Itunes, Deezer, Amazon MP3 and other digital platforms.

Rector Scanner was the duo’s pre-AD:keY music project which is revealing a more synthetic atmospheric approach of electronic music offering a sort of encounter between Rene Nowotny’s EBM roots and other Kraftwerk-like minimal electro-synth influences.

You can follow both bands on Spotify as well to stay in the loop about further releases (or listen to their excellent back catalogue work).

If you prefer high quality downloads, then you can get these re-releases via Bandcamp (since a few weeks already).

And here’s the Rector Scanner back catalogue!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The first EP by the new all-EBM project by the members of Die Krupps is out now under the Die Robo Sapiens moniker. Die Robo Sapiens consists of the trio Jürgen Engler, Ralf Dörper and Marcel Zürcher and they have now released the download EP “Teufelskreis – Tanz Mit Dem Roboter” via the Bandcamp page of the Alfa Matrix label.

The EP sees the trio collaborating with the U.S. electro artist JG and the Robots, who also directed and can be seen in the Die Krupps video “Robo Sapien”. “Tanz Mit Dem Roboter” is a direct wink to the Düsseldorf synth origins of the band, reworked by label mates Rector Scanner, the vintage synth duo Metroland and the Swedish minimal electro pop talent of Elektroklänge.

“Teufelskreis” on the other hand got remixed by two other prominent figures from the EBM scene: Armageddon Dildos and Sebastian Komor (Icon Of Coil, Komor Kommando, …).

All in all 7 tracks which are clearly giving a foretaste of the band’s forthcoming album “Robo Sapien Race”. Check them out below or download them 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.

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AD:keY returns with brand new 10th anniversary album + digitally re-releases full back catalogue of AD:keY and Rector Scanner

One of the leaders of the new German EBM generation, AD:keY is celebrating its 10th anniversary. 2017 saw the release of their 5th studio album “Reanimator” but now Andrea and Rene Nowotny offer a birthday present in the form of a 16-track collection of their best tracks in an all-new previously unreleased revisited version.

The 16-track collection will be available on CD (you can place your pre-orders right here) and as a download (you can place your pre-orders right here).

Included are their very first club hits in fully upgraded 2018 versions (“Elitär”, “Körper und Körper”, etc.) next to alternative versions of other successful songs from their discography, plus 2 exclusive new club tracks (“Pfeil Im Deinn Herz” and “Weltenwandler”) and a “Walfdorf Pulse2” version of their classic cover version of Front 242’s “Kampbereit”.

Below are already 2 versions you can check out.

Full AD:keY and Rector Scanner back catalogue re-released via Bandcamp

And that’s not all. Their label Alfa Matrix is also re-releasing the full AD:keY back catalogue and also the full Rector Scanner back catalogue. Rector Scanner was the duo’s pre-AD:keY music project which is revealing a more synthetic atmospheric approach of electronic music offering a sort of encounter between Rene Nowotny’s EBM roots and other Kraftwerk-like minimal electro-synth influences.

And here’s the Rector Scanner back catalogue!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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In 2007, Rene Nowotny, keyboarder with the EBM-legends Armageddon Dildos, joined up with his wife Andrea to form AD:keY which was the follow-up project to Rector Scanner. The oldschool label Electric Tremor signed the duo and released the debut album “Thema Nummer Eins” in 2008. It featured instant clubhits like “Hoch die Hämmer”, “Elitär” or yet “Tanzflächenhooligan”. 3 more albums followed: “Thats it!” (2010), “Astrogator” (2012) and “Anthropozän” (2015).

Anno 2017 the band is signed with Alfa Matrix and releases the download EP, “Shameless”, featuring 7 tracks including 3 mixes of the title track plus 3 remixes of the track “Ich reanimiere dich” and a remix of “Mein Weg”. Soundwise you can expect EBM with a fresh contemporate touch which should particularly please the Nitzer Ebb fans amongst you all.

The band is currently completing their 5th album for their new label Alfa Matrix

The EP is available for immediate download from Bandcamp, you can preview the tracks 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.

side-line.com