Genre/Influences: Italo-Disco, Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Swedish artist Tobias Bernstrup once defined himself as ‘Queer, Artist, Futuristic, Italo-Gothic, Synth-Pop, Musician and Performer’. “Petrichor” is the artist’s sixth full length album featuring eleven songs plus seven remixes.

Content: Entering “Petrichor” is a way to discover a styled Electro-Pop album with explicit elements of Italo-Disco. It’s not a coincidence that one of the songs is a cover version of Red 7’s “Heartbeat”. But the work is more diversified although always accomplished with strong melody lines, danceable rhythms and Bernstrup’s clear, sensual timbre of voice.

Remixes have been provided by SanFranDisko, DMT Berzerk, Ash Code, Supermatik, Qual, Xeno & Oaklander and We The North.

+ + + : The previous album “Technophobic:” already was a great and successful work. This new opus only confirms the writing skills of the artist; Bernstrup has a nose to compose danceable, styled, sexy and melodic Electro-Pop. Sometimes moving into pure Italo-Disco, it all comes together in a harmonious and fully accomplished work. This is a new opus that will appeal for 80s lovers. The multiple subtle effects and arrangements are getting us back to the most happy Electro-Pop formats, but still to the ‘kitsch’ of Italo-Disco. Four singles have been already released; songs you’ll (re)discover at “Petrichor”, but there are more potential singles and hits and especially “Loderunner” is a favorite one. Previously released singles like “Stranger” and “Only One”, both are brilliant cuts as well. Among the remixes I especially recommend listening to DMT Berzerk and Supermatik.

– – – : I don’t see real minus points, but “Technophobic” remains my favorite opus.

Conclusion: I’ve always liked the word ‘petrichor’, which means ‘a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather’. It now became a beautiful metaphor to define the sound of Tobias Bernstrup.

Best songs: “Loderunner”, “Stranger”, “Only One”, “Private Eyes”, “Stranger” + “Private Eye – DMT Berzerk Remix”, “Only One – Supermatik Remix”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.bernstrup.com / www.facebook.com/tobias.bernstrup.3

Label: www.facebook.com/NadannaItaloSynthRecords

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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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) June 25^th saw the release of ‘Terminal Love’, the third EP this year from the Norwegian industrial synth rockers Zeromancer, a worthy follow up to their previous releases ‘Damned le Monde‘ and ‘Mourners‘. In addition to interviewing the band about the EP, we also got hold of the guys behind the L’âme Immortelle and Architect remixes to get their thoughts on the song and the remix process.

Side-Line: ‘Terminal Love’ – feels like it’s a continuation of ‘Mourners’, like the next chapter or a different view of a similar story – an ongoing theme there? Or coincidence?

Alex Møklebust: Some of the continuation feeling you also get is probably how the song opens. Like ‘Mourners’ it starts with only synths and vocals, before the chorus hits. The chorus melody line on ‘Terminal Love’ is taken from a unreleased ZMR song during the making of ‘Sinners International’. Kim gave it another chance on ‘Terminal Love’ and the chorus finally made sense. Felt so good singing that melody line 12 years later. Never throw away ideas!

Kim Ljung: Alex has a memory like no other. All the time he surprises me with stories I have forgotten a long time ago. Though in this particular case I believe he’s a couple of years off 😉
The chorus of ‘Terminal Love’ is taken from a demo originally named ‘Collider’, which then again was a spin-off of an old Red 7 track (Lorry and Dan played in this band). Quite sure it was written in the aftermath of the ‘Death of Romance’ album. The pre-chorus of ‘Terminal Love’ I found on my phone where I always tape simple ideas with acoustic stuff, me singing on top. The date was June 26, 2014. One day later than the official release date which was about a week ago. Not so strange maybe, that musicians lose their minds carrying all this stuff around for years and years.
Regarding the connection with ‘Mourners’, I’m blind to those aspects. Just another Zeromancer song written in a fashion that suits that particular track.  What we always do. People has a tendency to ask what song or album we prefer ourselves. That’s irrelevant. I never set them up against each other. Not my job 🙂

S-L: When hearing the main synth melody line my first thought was “this is something Vince Clarke would’ve wished he made himself for a Yazoo song!”

AM: Thanks! I’ll take that as a huge compliment. The synth needed lots of movement to carry the first verse by itself. The modular setup works well for that and blends in with all the other instruments in a good way. The analogue imperfection is key.

KL: Word, Alex!
We had a lot of sessions at Room 13, Alex’s studio, where Alex sat and tweaked those knobs on the modulars. The idea was to create a signature sound for the intro of the song. Something significant that opens a track, and when you hear it, you instantly know which song it is.

S-L: The external remixes were both quite down-tempo and atmospheric, which also suits this track very well. Surprising that both chose this direction?

AM: It was a very pleasant surprise. Love the way it turned out. Both Thomas and Daniel had a short deadline, but managed to make two beautiful remixes. Thomas made it so personal that you immediately hear it’s a L’âme Immortelle remix. Respect.
Daniel also made ‘Terminal Love’ his own. The deep sub version takes you on this beautiful ride into Daniels universe. Love it. So talented musicians. We are so grateful for having friends all over the world collaborating with us. Musically, but also on a personal level.

KL: Both versions blew me away. I didn’t expect it at all. Pure genius. You can hear in an instant how much love and passion they put into this track. Fold my hands for those guys.

S-L: Alex, your alter ego SnifferGod ends the EP with an up-tempo remix, a good contrast to the other remixes, with great beats and rhythms! Some elements here puts me back to the end of the 80’s/early 90’s, like Nitzer Ebb doing a 90’s rave with S’Express and a touch of acid house, but layered in a 2020’s updated soundscape. Tell us what you did here!

AM: I had to work on this one in-between mixing the Zeromancer album. Mixing daytime and remixing nighttime.
You are absolutely spot on. Because of the high tempo, I wanted to get that 90’s techno feel combined with some 80’s EBM. Nearly all synths are from my modular and semi-modular setup. No samples, except sampling ourselves. It’s an up-tempo remix, maybe close to stress-techno, but the «party boy» Alex kicked in. Blame the late night sessions.

KL: Stress-techno or stress-synth. Hahaha….it’s an internal wordplay on a comment by the Foo Fighters-drummer in a recording session with good,  old Rick Springfield. He calls Springfield’s style stress-rock. And he does so as a kind of a compliment. However, who wants that type of label 🙂

Yeah, SnifferGod is Alex going back in time. A real killer version. Lots of raving flashbacks, with the God himself on the dancefloor.

S-L: Kim, where’s your mother this time on the cover photo? Vacation in the fjords, or where she’s originally from?

KL: This time the photo is taken on the roadside near Odda in Hardanger. The roads were obviously a lot more curvy back in 1957. Though they still are…
The family took these endless road trips from Sauda all around Norway every summer holiday. My mom is on the left, my uncle at the right of the photo. They are facing the glacier, Buerbreen. Both of them are carsick as hell. My grandfather took the shot, as he did with the previous singles.

I think the distance and the vibe of the photo suits perfectly with title of the song.

Check out this playlist of Zeromancer and SnifferGod remixes!

As with all three EPs this year, this one also features brilliant remixes, which made an easy decision to repeat the remixers part from the ‘Mournes’ article. Both Thomas Rainer (L’âme Imortelle/Nachtmar) and Daniel Myer (Architect/Liebknecht/Haujobb/Covenant etc.) had some to say about their contributions.

First off is Thomas Rainer from Vienna, Austria:

S-L: What’s your relation to Zeromancer before this remix?

Thomas Rainer: They already made 2 remixes for my band L’âme Imortelle and are also label mates, so it was kind of obvious that we would also collaborate the other way around one day. It also didn’t hurt that I have also always really liked the music of the band.

S-L: How did you like the new song ‘Terminal Love’?

TR: I really liked the song from the very beginning. The vocals immediately caught my ear, but after further listening I really enjoyed listening to all the small details in the very sophisticated production.

S-L: The other ZMR releases in 2021 – what’s your opinion so far?

TR: I enjoyed all of the new material so far especially since it shows an even more mature form of the band. Something I greatly appreciate.

S-L: What was your main idea with your remix?

TR: I usually approach all remixes by listening to the vocals alone first, and Alex’ stellar performance made it clear that it needs to be given as much space as possible with the music just being a supporting element. 

Check Thomas’ playlist of his remixes!

Next remixer were Daniel Myer from Leipzig, Germany:

S-L: What’s your relation to Zeromancer before this remix?

Daniel Myer: I’ve known Zeromancer since they came to the scene. It’s a fairly small scene, so of course you know every new act that comes out, especially back in the day;)

We also share the same booking agency, so I went to see them live quite often when they were in town or at festivals. I always liked their style and I really like the songs and Alex’ voice.

S-L: How did you like the new song ‘Terminal Love’?

DM: Terminal Love had a real anthem feel to me. That’s why I approached a friend of mine to do this remix with me. I wanted to make it really big, like a “Pop Hymn” in the style of Imagine Dragons. But my friends was busy with her release, so I did the remix by myself.

S-L: The other ZMR releases in 2021 – what’s your opinion so far?

DM: I haven’t heard it all, only the last single, and I love Krischan Wesenbergs remix. He is one of my favourite producers at the moment.

S-L: What was your main idea with your remix?

DM: For the remix, like I mentioned above, I had something big in mind, but I only had a very limited amount of time.
I was on vacation with my girlfriend and we had very specific plans for this time. I started the remix with this Imagine Dragons idea in mind and then send it off to my friend in NYC. She came back to me after a few days, telling me that she couldn´t work on it, so I had to finish it by myself. By that time I was in a very strange headspace, a lot of things went wrong on our vacation trip, so I was stressed out and I had to go see my mother.

So I actually finished the remix on the train to Bielefeld one morning, on the day of the deadline. Overall I had only 12 days to do the mix, Alex came basically in the last minute to ask me for it 😉 And my mother lives in the woods, so there was no good internet connections. I actually used the hotspot from my phone to deliver the remix to Norway! 😀

Check Daniel’s playlist of his remixes!

Listen to and buy the ‘Teminal Love’ EP from Spotify, Apple music and other services – click here!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Ljungblut & Karisma Records press release)
The sixth album from Ljungblut are set for release November 2nd 2018, and will the first album with distribution outside Norway. The album will be available in two vinyl versions, CD and digital versions, and Side-Line kicks off with a streaming premiere right here two days before the official release.

Ljungblut originally started out as a solo project from Seigmen / Zeromancer bass player and main songwriter Kim Ljung in 2005.
He needed an outlet for songs which didn’t fit in with his main bands. After three solo albums in English, the project evolved into a full
quintet, and they have released two independent albums in Norwegian.

“Villa Carlotta 5959” is the sixth Ljungblut album, and the last in a trilogy of albums with Norwegian lyrics. Here, several songs have historical references, as already heard on the secong single “Hasselblad” about the 12 Hasselblad cameras left behind on the surface of the Moon.
“Superga” referring to the Superga height outside Torino, most known for the cathedral and the plane crash that killed the Torino football team in 1949. Then there are songs referring to Ljung’s chronic migraine – “Min Krig” (My war) and “Aldri helt stille” (Never completely quiet).

The album has a wide range of tempos and dynamics, but at the same time a cohesive sound and melancholy mood, resulting in an organic sound with Kim Ljung’s characteristic voice surrounded by a plethora of vintage synths and instruments. The basis of the album was recorded live in studio and mixed by Alex Møklebust (Seigmen / Zeromancer) and Terje Johannesen.

Line-up: Kim Ljung, Dan Heide (Zeromancer, Red7), Sindre Pedersen, Joakim Brendsrød & Ted Skogmann (Apoptygma Berzerk)
Guest artists: Erik Ljunggren (a-ha, Bel Canto, Zeromancer), Ginge Anvik (SubGud, soundtrack composer) and Terje Johannesen.

Ljungblut will also perform live at three occations in November; two shows in Tønsberg the 9th and 10th, one show in Oslo on the 12th. See you there?

Enjoy the premiere!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) The Norwegian EBM-band RED 7 will release their debut EP “Silence Hotel” via Gymnocal Industries in February next year, and Side-Line debuts their teaser with new music at the bottom of this article.

Being the brainchild of Lorry Kristiansen (Zeromancer), RED 7 was presumed dead after he joined Zeromancer full-time back in 2008. However, earlier this year they got together to record the 4 songs that form this coming EP. They will also finally return to the live scene next year, playing the Nærsynth #3 one night festival.

We got hold of Lorry, and got a comment about how this release came about, why now, and even doing concerts too.

Lorry: “It actually happened almost by accident. Apples & Diamonds is a hair dresser salon in my hometown, Tønsberg. They have always helped us with styling, make-up and ideas on almost every photoshoot. From RED 7, Ljungblut and of course Zeromancer.

They celebrated their 10-year anniversary, and asked if RED 7 would play. Surprisingly, we said yes! And playing that concert was so much fun, we decided it was a great opportunity. And with Zeromancer taking a years break, the timing was there. It feels very good to have been able to close this chapter.”

The band:

• Lorry Kristiansen (Zeromancer)
• Dan Heide (Zeromancer, Ljungblut)
• Håkon Tornes
• Sindre Pedersen (Ljungblut)

The EP will be available for pre-ordering on Friday October 30th and will be released for streaming / download, on Digipak CD and on limited 180 grams transparent red 12″ vinyl.

Tracklisting:

1. Murder Sound
2. Two Down
3. Things Undone
4. Silence Hotel

The CD and vinyl versions will also contain a download card, giving access to new and exclusive remixes, old demos and more.

Here’s the “Silence Hotel” EP teaser.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange