Out in late September will be a wooden box, limited to 500 copies, including the entire Orplid discography on 12 individual vinyls. The set comes with a 84-pages hardcover book, 3 art prints and numbered and signed certificate.

The majority of the works available in this set are released on vinyl for the first time ever. It contains all of the group’s 5 studio albums, including their new work “Deus Vult”, and all EPs, alongside 16 additional tracks, partly rare (compilation contributions, bonus tracks), partly unreleased.

The 84-page book holds all lyrics, illustrations by Uwe Nolte and an Orplid artist photo gallery. Furthermore, “Legatum” features three prints with art by Uwe Nolte, a certificate of authenticity, hand-signed and numbered by Orplid themselves, as well as a branding on the lid.

Included works:

• “Orplid”
• “Das Schicksal” (EP)
• “Geheiligt sei der Toten Name” (EP)
• “Barbarossa” (EP)
• “Nächtliche Jünger” (incl. 3 bonus tracks)
• “Sterbender Satyr” (incl. etching)
• “Greifenherz” (incl. 3 unreleased bonus tracks)
• “Deus Vult” (incl. unreleased bonus track)
• “Donum” (rarities 1996-2000, 9 tracks incl. 1 unreleased)

Orplid is a neofolk, martial, post-industrial and experimental music group of German musicians, Uwe Nolte and Frank Machau. The name is drawn from the poem “Gesang Weylas” by Eduard Mörike, beginning “Du bist Orplid, mein Land” (‘You are Orplid, my land’). The band has progressed over the course of their discography from acoustic folk peppered with instruments like the piano, organ, and cello, to a more experimental minimalistic style.

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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Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM.

Background/Info: Set up in 2010 by Jan Kluge (vocals) and Thomas DosUnit the Berlin duo self-released the album “Dein Schicksal” in 2012. They were joined in 2016 by Oliver Senger (Agonoize) and started writing new material. “Sünde Mensch” is the first official album from Any Second and features an extra disc with remixes.

Content: The sound and influences of Any Second are somewhat 90s like and clearly reminding me of bands such as Tyske Lüdder, Der Prager Handgriff and Calva Y Nada. They bring a powerful mix of dark-electronics and pure EBM sung by charismatic vocals. Most of the vocals are sung in German.

The bonus disc features 10 remixes by [:SITD:], Cephalgy, Centhron, Trensity, Mondträume, Electronic Frequency, Synthattack, Tranzresonanz, Pseudokrupp Project and Angriffspakt.

+ + + : No doubt about it, this is a ‘typical’ Out Of Line production that will appeal for lovers of dark-electronics and EBM. Any second moves somewhere in between and clearly evoke good-old 90s influences. The songs are well-crafted and feature several great cuts. I especially want to tip “Seelenhügel”, which appears to be a real potential hit. The powerful and charismatic vocals are sometimes reminding me of Tyske Lüdder.

Among the remixes I want to say a word about the great job done by [:SITD:] (remixing “Seelenhügel”) and Tanzresonanz (a band I remember from an ‘old’ Out Of Line-compilation entitled “Electrostorm Vol.6”).

– – – : I noticed a few ‘softer’ cuts, which are not the most captivating ones from the work. Sound-wise Any Second avoids all innovation, but I have to admit they accomplished an efficient production.

Conclusion: This is the kind of band that will appeal for multiple electro-heads passionate by EBM and dark-electronics. Nothing new although a cool work!

Best songs: “Seelenhügel”, “Niedergand”, “Sünde” + “Zorn – Tranzresonanz Remix”, “Seelenhügel – [:SITD:] Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.anysecond.eu / www.facebook.com/anysecond.berlin

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

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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The ‘older’ electro fans familiar with EBM will probably remind Schicksal. This Belgian solo-project set up by Rudi Huybrechts released one single and noticeable 12” entitled “24 Hours”. This EP got released exactly 30 years ago now and got very enthusiastic reactions. Unfortunately no other official Schicksal release got ever released. This year the Belgian label Walhalla Records, which is devoted to good-old (Belgian) electronics recovered Schicksal from dust. The album “365 Days” got released on vinyl format and features next to the familiar songs from the “24 Hours”-maxi several previously unreleased songs. Schicksal is alive and answered a few questions about this noticeable ‘return’.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Schicksal is one of these ‘forgotten’ electronic projects from the early 80s, which this year released the album “365 Days”. Can you remind us the who’s hiding behind this project and the way you got in touch with electronic music?

Rudi: My real name is Rudi Huybrechts. I was born in 1967 in Hoboken, a town near Antwerp. Imagine Hoboken was at that time as an old industry township with industrial artefacts, such as an old petrochemical abandoned plant, bankrupt shipyard Cockerill and a polluting chemical plant.

As a young kid I was already interested in electronic music. I went to the library to lend LP’s which helped me discover all kinds of music. And that’s where I first heard “Autobahn”. From that point on, nothing was the same anymore. I started discovering bands like D.A.F., Human League, Heaven 17. The release of Front’s “Geography” in 1982 is for me a true landmark. This was the first time where synth music had this kind of aggression, passion and groove. Front 242 used synths in a way which was never done before. And then of course there was the radio show ‘Vrijaf’ by Gust Decoster, every Wednesday afternoon. It is on Vrijaf that I discovered a lot of fantastic ‘Belpop’ and recorded it on lots of C90 tapes.

Q: The 12” “24 Hours” released in 1988 on Antler’s subdivision Subway Records has been your single official release before the album. Back in time Subway Records was devoted to the new-beat scene so what does it evoke to you?

Rudi: For me, the New-Beat period started a lot earlier than many think. During the late 80’s, some DJ’s in Antwerp nightclubs such as ‘Prestige’, ‘Berchem Palace’ and ‘Rudy’s Avant Garde’ in St.Niklaas started pitching songs and playing downtempo dance music. It was a time of decadence, so-called ‘m’as tu vu’ and no rules.

It is a coincidence that “24 hours” was released on Subway. In fact, it was Marc Grouls (resident DJ at Prestige Club) who played “24 hours” for the first time, after some stalking from me! The dancefloor went wild so the day after Marc picked me up at home to sign a contract with Maurice Engelen on the Subway label. In short notice New-Beat became hot, so hot that it became mainstream and unfortunately evolved in the so called ‘Nouga Beat’.

Q: How did it finally happen that the album “365 Days” got released 30 years after “24 Hours”?

Rudi: It happened because of one man, Lieven De Ridder. There’s a Belgian underground community of people who are dedicated to the electronic scene. They are interested in minimal-synth, New-Beat and music which was played at ‘Liaisons Dangereuses’ (an historic radio show on free radio station SIS). Lieven De Ridder is one of the main influencers in that scene. His knowledge and passion for music, especially synth music, borders on the unbelievable. Lieven is the founder of Walhalla Records, a label that is specialised in releasing vinyl which has only been released on cassette before. Lieven and I got in touch, and started playing on his Radioshow ‘Wave Frequencies’ on Radio Centraal. The first Walhalla record was “Underground Belgian Wave Vol.l 1” featuring 2 Schicksal songs “Time“ and “Saturday”, previously released on the historic “Climax”-tape. Lieven had the idea to release a full album of Schicksal, with previously unreleased material. We got together again and chose representative tracks to cover 30 years.

Q: Back in time “24 Hours” got a very positive response, but how do you look back at the songs featured on it and what has been the impact of this release on your career as artist?

Rudi: The song “24 hours” itself was rather accidentally connected to the New-Beat sound; it was not my intension to create or compose New-Beat. I could have got probably more out of it, but in that time there was no internet. As an 21 year old modest student I was not really interested in the ‘music industry’ and let alone all the merchandising and commerce around it.

Q: So what can you tell us about the songs featured at “365 Days”? When did you compose these tracks and what can you say about the sound, influences, equipment?

Rudi: The A side of “365 Days”, together with “Saturday” on the B-side is from the early days and made with analogue gear. I bought my first synth (with money I earned working as a student) in 1983, at the age of 15. It was a Roland SH-101. It felt like the world got open in front of me… I started compiling the instruments you require as a solo synth-artist; new ones and most second hand instruments. My first drum computer was a Boss DR 55 for example. I am a fan of Roland, especially the TR series. But buying something new meant that other instruments had to be sold. Can you imagine I once sold a TR-909…if only I knew at that time… My favourite configuration was the Roland SH-101, the DR-110 drum computer,  the Korg Poly 800 and Boss DSD-2 sampler/delay. Picture yourself, a small bedroom (3 x 2,5m), the gear on the bed because I’d no space, a cassette deck with hifi deck, mixer, microphone and me trying to get control of it all (lol) That’s how many of the Schicksal songs were created.  The other songs on “365 days” are more recent. Today I create my songs on PC with Reason and a Nektar midi keyboard. But last year I got a Korg MS-20 (!) as a birthday gift from a good friend and recently I bought a Korg Volca Bass. So I’m back into the analogue gear! The first demos are a fact, but I’m still trying to sync them all together. The pitfall of creating music on computer is that you can lose yourself for hours in looking for that specific sound instead of being creative. For me ‘less is more’.

Q: A lot of things have changed since the late 80s; I’m referring to instruments, recording techniques, music styles, labels, promotion, distribution, media, social media, streaming… Do you feel you’re still living in the same world as 30 years ago and what’s your perception about all these evolutions/changes?

Rudi: Indeed, in 30 years of time, a lot changed! Every change has his advantages and disadvantages. In fact it is much cheaper today to make electronic music than it was in the 80’s. Also the possibilities/sounds/samples are endless. With Facebook and Youtube you have, as an artist, much more opportunities to share your music and find allies. If the internet wouldn’t exist, the “365 Days”-release wouldn’t have been released! On the other hand I today miss some artists who’re experimenting and thinking outside the box. The bulb was not invented by improving the candle if you know what I mean… All MTV and big radio stations play the same EDM-shit, over and over again. Youngsters, stop looking at your smartphone and create your own revolution!

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, minimal-electro, electro-wave.

Background/Info: If you’re a little bit familiar with the Belgian Walhalla Records, you for sure know they’re specialized in pure 80s underground electronics and related genres. And if you’re a 80s nostalgic you for sure remind Schicksal. This project was driven by Rudi Huybrechts and I remember his great 12” entitled “24 Hours” released in 1988 on Subway Records (a division of Antler). This album brings Schicksal back to life, featuring a selection of tracks that has been composed (and reworked) in between 1982 and now. The album is available as a vinyl release.

Content: Schicksal brings the early hours of 80s electronic experiments and EBM alive. It’s pure vintage-like music revealing the minimalism from that period, the sterile way of singing, classical sampling parts and melodic passages. It also is an opportunity to get back to the famous “24 Hours”-song featured as “Perfect Body Mix”, but especially to discover songs that were never released on vinyl before. I also like the very last song of the opus for its new-beat flavor.

+ + + : This album sounds like a documentary from a band, which definitely deserved much, more recognition. I often ask myself why some 80s bands –like Schicksal, remained in the shadow of some so-called ‘bigger’ bands with less talent!? Schicksal really had enough potential to get more famous and considered as one of the Belgian pioneers in EBM. This work will ravish all analogue freaks. It’s a great and minimal-like work. The songs sound simple, but there’s the magic of the sound treatments. This is a great and I dare to say essential release getting us back to the early Belgian EBM: dark and visionary!

– – – : I just noticed a few songs, which maybe suffer from the weight of time, but there’s no reason to complain.

Conclusion: Schicksal maybe is one of the ‘forgotten’ Belgian pioneers of electronic underground music. This album is a late consecration of a genius artist!

Best songs: “Kant Und Klahr”, “Body Beat (K7 Mix)”, “Deceived”, “Pavlov”, “24 Hours (Perfect Body Mix)”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/rudi.huybrechts.35

Label: www.walhallarecords.be / www.facebook.com/walhallarecords

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