Metropolis Records has just released “The Ghosts I Called”, a brand new collection of 15 tracks recorded by yelworC over a ten year period. It follows a set of four recent vinyl reissues on GH Records that revisits the group’s earliest years: “Dis-Cover and Con-Trol”, “Brainstorming”, “Flash, Wards, and Incubation”, and “A.I.W.A.S.S.”.

You can check the material out right below.

About yelworC

Peter Devin and Oliver Büttner (also known as Dominik van Reich) founded the electro-industrial band yelworC in 1987. The band’s name is a reference to Aleister Crowley, and their music delves into themes of dark magic, religious ceremonies, mortality, and aggression.

Between 1988 and 1990, the duo produced several demo tapes before Celtic Circle Productions (C.C.P.), a now-defunct label, signed them. In December 1992, they released their debut CD album “Brainstorming”. Following this, they introduced the “Blood in Face” EP, featuring remixes and new content from “Brainstorming”.

Their sound blends dark synthesizers, aggressive dance beats, distorted vocals, and horror film samples, resembling Skinny Puppy’s style. This fusion has influenced many in the electro-industrial and gothic music scenes.

In 1994, yelworC unexpectedly disbanded. Van Reich formed amGod, an experimental project, and released “Half Rotten and Decayed” with C.C.P. Meanwhile, Devin retained the rights to the yelworC name.

2004 saw Devin’s return with yelworC’s studio album “Trinity”, their first in over a decade. This album, featuring late 1990s compositions, explores Dante’s Inferno with a guest spot by Dennis Ostermann of In Strict Confidence on “Vexilla Regis Inferni”.

The 2007 album “Icolation” followed, extending the “Trinity” concept with themes from Dante’s Purgatorio.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Following the 2021 physical release of Paul Kendall’s “Boundary Macro” album on Downward Records, Cat Werk Imprint have now announced the release as a high-quality digital download via Bandcamp. “Boundary Macro” is the fifth solo album from producer, engineer and electronic musician Paul Kendall.

The vinyl edition is available here, while the download is available here.

The foundations for Boundary Macro came through a remix completed for Downwards, the label run by Karl O’Connor (aka Regis). O’Connor was familiar with Kendall’s work as an in-house producer, engineer and mixer for Mute Records in the 1980s and 1990s, and sought him out for the remix of Veronica Vasicka’s “From Here” in 2018.

“Boundary Macro” was recorded after the COVID-19 pandemic had first emerged.

Paul: “I experienced a sort of creative paralysis from the start of March until the end of April due to early lockdown and an endless concern about food supplies (…) around May I started to experiment sound processing apps on my iPad – apps like Borderlands Granular, Tardigrain and Enso. I was astonished at the relative affordability of these apps in comparison to studio multi-effects units or computer plug-ins.”

Kendall began experimenting with recordings of his own voice and the Leaf Audio Soundbox instrument, capturing hours of improvised performances which were then edited, superimposed and processed to form eight of the tracks on the album. The album was completed by the addition of two older pieces created using completely different methods (“Distor ADIO” and “Are You In?”).

Check out the full album below.

Here are two videos from the release.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Rosie Alice Foster) Sylph, the solo project of former S.C.U.M founder and vocalist Thomas Cohen, returns with a new 4-track single “Ancient Hole”. For this release Cohen has worked with Terence Fixmer, Regis and Nicolas Bougaïeff as well as composer and singer Anni Hogan.

A short film by director Victor Gutierrez, accompanies the release featuring performances of two tracks from the new EP, “Scripture of Love” with Karl O’Connor aka Regis and “Ancient Hole” alongside “Tears Fall From The Sun” with Rrose.

Watch the film below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out 19 November via the Downwards label is the new collaboration between Astrud Steehouder, Alex Tucker and Luke J Murray. The trio – all residents of North East London – united under the Nonexistent umbrella for a self-titled debut.

Astrud Steehouder (Opal X, Paper Dollhouse), Alex Tucker (Microcorps, Grumbling Fur) and Luke J Murray (Grimescapes, Iceman Junglist Kru, Stonecirclesampler) have recorded 9 tracks which Downwards Records label head Regis (Karl O’Connor) describes as “a great electronic record that’s rooted in the soil of these isles, a record with a true sense of place, purpose and time.”

You can listen to the first track, “Untitled 9. (Cold Walls)”, right below.

Long-standing friends Steehouder and Tucker planned to collaborate for many years, and in 2020 they finally found the time to start sharing files with the aim of making long form drone pieces. As the project progressed they enlisted Manchester producer Luke J Murray in to the fold. As a result you will hear a blend of Steehouder’s extended Prophet 8 improvisations, Tucker’s modular processed cello, voice and tapes and Luke J Murray’s sampled electronics.

About the Nonexistent members

Astrud Steehouder is a musician, performer and producer utilizing both electronic and acoustic compositions. She works predominantly with synthesisers, electronics and guitar and is best known for her work as Paper Dollhouse with Nina Bosnic. She has released music with Night School, Finders Keepers, The Tapeworm and her own MoonDome imprint. Since moving on from Paper Dollhouse, Steehouder is currently working under her heavy electronics alias Opal X.

Alex Tucker is a multidisciplinary artist working across music and visual art. Tucker’s multiple projects include solo work as Alexander Tucker, avant pop duo Grumbling Fur with Daniel O’Sullivan, radiophonics tape works as Imbogodom with Daniel Beban and most recently his solo electronics project Microcorps for Alter. Tucker had collaborated alongside Charlemange Palestine, Neil Campbell, Mark Titchner, Gazelle Twin, Simon Fisher Turner and Nik Void, releasing works with Thrill Jockey, Important, VHF and ATP recordings.

Luke J Murray is a Manchester producer based in London, his projects as one half of Iceman Junglist Kru and Grimescapes have seen him release for both The Tapeworm and Manchester’s YOUTH label. He records solo as Stonecirclesampler (via Industrial Coast), creating gauzy drones and submerged audio, hovering at the edges of mutant jungle, garage and experimental zones.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange/press release penned by Mat Smith) Boundary Macro is the fifth solo album from producer, engineer and electronic musician Paul Kendall, released July 29th on clear vinyl, including digital downloads.

Beginning with his tenure in anarchic London post-punk unit Dry Rib and on through his respected studio work with Recoil, Wire, Barry Adamson, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb and many others, Kendall has always maintained an acute focus on the intricate properties of sound. Each of his solo albums has showcased an approach to complex sound design as well as the darker, emotive side of sonic processing.

The impetus for Boundary Macro came through a remix completed for Downwards, the label run by Karl O’Connor (aka Regis). O’Connor was familiar with Kendall’s tenure as an in-house producer, engineer and mixer for Mute Records in the 1980s and 1990s, and sought him out for the remix of Veronica Vasicka’s ‘From Here’ in 2018. “He liked the remix I did for him and I remember him saying to send him some of my stuff if I so wished,” recalls Kendall. “I sent him the ten tracks that make up Boundary Macro. He came flying back to me having fallen in love with a couple of pieces and offered to put the album out on Downwards. It really was a seductive enthusiasm and I readily agreed.”

The concept for Boundary Macro unifies an approach that Kendall takes to both images and sound. “I absolutely love macro photography,” he explains. “Macro photography is where you magnify the minutiae of an object. It’s a similar method that I’ve used a lot in sound design, where I take found sounds then exploit and zoom in on them.”

If ‘macro’ is the descriptor for Kendall’s process, then ‘boundary’ is about revealing another personal side of himself – his hearing difficulties, a condition caused by too many loud studio sessions. “A boundary can be thought of as being like binary, with its two states – on and off. With this album, the boundary in question is the one between my ability to hear and not hear. Because of that deafness, I sometimes have to rely on graphical representations of sound to ensure there’s not something happening sound-wise which I am unable to hear. It’s also about the supposed boundary between sound and noise, which, for me, does not exist. It’s also the idea of the boundary as a limit – but a limit to go beyond, not one that stops you. Suffering with loss of hearing could have easily acted as a limit for me. Boundary Macro is the sound of me going beyond that limit.”

We also had a short Q&A with Paul via e-mail.

Side-Line: New album – what led up this?  

Paul Kendall: I experienced a sort of creative paralysis from the start of March until the end of April due to early lockdown and an endless concern about food supplies. Around May 2020 I started to experiment sound processing apps on my iPad – apps like Borderlands Granular, Tardigrain and Enso. I was astonished at the relative affordability of these apps in comparison to studio multi-effects units or computer plug-ins.

Side-Line: What was your recording process?

PK: I began experimenting with recordings of my own voice and the Leaf Audio Soundbox instrument, capturing hours of improvised performances which were then microscopically edited, superimposed and processed to form eight of the tracks on the album. The album was completed by the addition of two  older pieces created using completely different methods (‘Distor ADIO’ and ‘Are You In?’), but were entirely kept in style with my recent experiments.

Side-Line: Tell us about the artwork and the decision for a clear vinyl.

PK: The original sleeve design was one of mine, riffing on the boundary idea, every line was a boundary. The clear vinyl was probably someone at Downwards.

Side-Line: Other plans or any events/performances planned?

PK: On this island the concept of overseas travel has been dealt a blow by Brexit and Covid. But who knows? When the geo-political world cools down I may happily grab a suitcase.

Get the album at Boomkat.

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

Genre/Influences: Ritual-electro, experimental, industrial.

Background/Info: “Sub Luna Regis” resulted from the common efforts between two Spanish –or should I’ve to say Catalan artists, Marc O’Callaghan (Coàgul) and Sergio Méndez (Escama Serrada). Both projects –but especially Coàgul, have already released multiple productions and seem to like working with other artists.

Content: “Sub Luna Regis” clearly reveals two different sides. There’s a ritual-like approach, which is composed with electronics, industrial sound treatments and multiple ritual elements like bells, spoken-like vocals and also a passage with esoteric-like chants, slow and repetitive percussion and a dark, overwhelming atmosphere. The other side is more into pure sound experimentalism.

+ + + : The electro-ritual approach emerging from several songs is absolutely great and original. There’s a refreshing touch in this work, which is accomplished with cool sound treatments. The Spanish spoken-like vocals are adding a mysterious and obscure touch to the work and only accentuate the ritual character of the work. You get the impression of being part of a secret rite. I also enjoy the minimalism these tracks have been made with. “El Nostre Món” is a real great song in the genre.

– – – : I’m not convinced by the more experimental cuts, which sometimes sound like simply experimenting with analogue machines.

Conclusion: “Sub Luna Regis” brings different alternative music genres together. It’s a great and creative work, which mainly excels in ritual electronics. This is an album to look out for!

Best songs: “Per Transcendir La Dualitat”, “El Nostre Món”, “Avis De Visita”, “Els Regnes Subllunars”.

Rate: (7½).

Artists: www.facebook.com/coagulatus / www.facebook.com/Escama-Serrada-323299644440275

Label: www.facebook.com/Grabaciones–Sentimentales-462414720964730

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-techno.

Background/Info:

Originally set up as a duo, Michael Wollenhaupt remained the single member on board. After numerous EP’s Ancient Methods has now released its debut full length  -available as 3-vinyl format, featuring 14 tracks.

Content: The sound of Ancient Methods is clearly driven by industrial-techno vibes. From heavy, bouncing cuts carried by a big kick to frenetic-trance passages to somewhat mysterious and Eastern-like atmospheres this work is quite diversified. You’ll also notice multiple sound effects, exciting electronic signals and even a few passages with vocals.

“The Jericho Methods” also reveals the contribution of some famous guest artists such as Orphx, Prurient, Cindytalk, Regis and a few more vocalists.

+ + + : I like the sonic fusion between techno- and industrial music and especially when it has been accomplished with passion and knowledge. The sound production reveals multiple great aspects and I especially enjoyed the heavy blasting sounds running through the album. The contribution of some talented guest artists also adds a little extra to the work. “The Jericho Methods” is an accomplished and diversified piece of music featuring multiple noticeable cuts.

– – – : I can’t get away that this kind of music is a bit too dark for techno heads and maybe too techno-driven for industrial lovers, but one thing is for sure, there’s a growing audience for this kind of music. Back to the album now, I personally expected a bit more from the songs that featured guest artists.

Conclusion: Welcome to the world of Ancient Methods, revealing a successful work filled with styled industrial-techno.

Best songs: “The House Of Rahab”, “Treason Creeps In”, “I Am Your New King feat. King Dude”, “Twelve Stones To Divide Jordan’s Sand”, “Crack And Collapse In The Storm Of Lights”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.ancientmethods.com / www.facebook.com/ancientmethods1

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

The Greek act Marsheaux has launched a new single taken from the album “Ath.Lon” (available here on vinyl, 2CD and various other formats) together with a video which you can watch below.

Marsheaux are a Greek female electro-pop duo (Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou). Originally from Thessaloniki, they moved to Athens and formed the group. Marianthi moved to London in 2015 and the girls commuted between Greece and the
UK to record the “Ath.Lon” album which was released August 2016.

Marsheaux will play at the Electric Dreams Weekender next Sunday (4th). The event takes place at the Butlins Bognor Regis Resort and also features sets from OMD, Heaven 17, Blancmange, Marc Almond and more.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com