Data Void emerged from the collaborative efforts of Don Gordon (Numb, Halo_Gen) and James Mendez (Jihad ao). This year, they released their debut album, “Strategies Of Dissent,” on Metropolis Records. The songs feature a Dark-Electro and EBM sound, yet there’s an overwhelming Cinematic vibe running through the work. It is a remarkable opus, and I had the opportunity to connect with Don and James, who revealed many details about their work and album. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The two of you have been in the music industry for a long time, but what has brought you together, and what has led to the origins of Data Void?”?

JM: The very beginnings of the project initially began back in June of 2020, where I initiated the idea of collaborating on a song to see how things would progress. In response, Don shared some early ideas that which evolved into the track “Seven Seconds”. The idea of collaborating on music together was something that came up after many different discussions we had (both music / non-music related) throughout the approximate year and half we remained in contact since meeting up in Southeast Asia where I met Don for dinner in Ho Chi Minh City where he was living at that time. From there, it wasn’t something we both knew we were going to pursue and continued working on more ideas/material which sort of played out organically throughout the entire process up to what you hear on the finished album.

DG: While there wasn’t an initial plan to release anything we realized quite quickly that there was something quite unique coming together out of the experiments. This led to discussion about possibly releasing some of the material as an EP which over time expanded into an album. The conceptual framework for the album emerged after the first couple of songs were finished. The name of the project was suggested by the alignment between themes we were exploring lyrically and articles that I was reading concerned with information data voids and misinformation/propaganda.

Q: I can imagine that such a new project must be very exciting. Did it feel that way for you throughout the entire writing and production process? How did the songs on the album come together?

DG: The album was developed through the online exchange of audio and MIDI files and lots of discussion. This meant that there wasn’t a lot of real-time interaction during the writing phase. The process would start with one of us sending a sketch of a groove or harmonic progression to the other person who would use this as a creative jumping off point. The first couple of exchanges usually led to quite marked departures and evolutions from the original source idea. This iterative back and forth allowed for unexpected ideas to be introduced and a more reflective approach to development of ideas. After structuring the primary instrumental components of a song, I would write lyrics and record a version of the vocals. These were forwarded to James who would then record an alternate variation. The most interesting elements from these different versions were then used as the basis for a song’s vocals. This resulted in some songs in which the main vocal part would alternate between James and myself in the verses and chorus (i.e. “Crash, Burn & Resurrect”), other songs where both vocal approaches were integrated throughout, and in some there would only be a single vocalist (i.e. “A Failure Of Language”, “This Night Goes On Forever”). While I executed the final mixes, these too would undergo revision based on discussion.

JM: I was really exciting to see how the ideas we started out with would evolve as they developed into full-length songs, and in turn how this would lead to a complete album. It was quite interesting to see how we both approached the song writing process, along with all technical aspects (i.e., sounds, textures, percussion, mixing elements, etc.).

Regarding how the songs came about on the album; one of us would start out by sending the other a short clip (~45s – 1m) that would entail several different sequences  that represented the beginnings of an idea where the other would then add additional parts to compliment where the other left off. Going back and forth in this fashion until we completed the outline of what felt like the song should be. We would complete a rough draft of each song and then repeat the process again, starting out with more ideas until we eventually completed the next song and so on. As we continued working on each song, we would also discuss all of the details via email, chats, and video calls when things became a bit more complex, as this would save a lot of time in conveying our thought process.

We both use different DAWs (Logic Pro and Ableton Live) when writing music but also use several of the same virtual instruments / effects which helped make things a little easier when sharing files back and forth. We would share a combination of audio files, MIDI, VST patches, screenshots, configuration files, etc. so we could essentially mirror all of the individual sequenced tracks and song structures on both of our DAWs respectively as we continued to complete each song.

After we finished each song, Don would write lyrics and share them along with a rough sketch as to how they may be structured. The vocal structure would also undergo the same iterative approach going back and forth until we were content with the final outcome. After finishing three songs, we both reevaluated what we were going to do as far as a release was concerned and decided to continue working on more music until we felt we had enough songs to complete an entire album.

Q: The title of the album, “Strategies Of Dissent”, sounds intriguing and particularly relevant in the context of world politics. What is the album all about, and what inspired the lyrics?

DG: Lyrically and conceptually the album explores the themes of power, control and resistance to it, and the attraction for many to ‘lost causes’. Each song takes a different perspective, a different strategy if you will, to engaging with these themes. Not surprisingly, information spaces, misinformation, conspiracies, and technology figure into this with most of the songs having their basis in contemporary events and social/political currents. That being said, the lyrics were constructed so as not to come across as didactic, but instead to present these ideas at a more personal level.

“Nothing Changes” is intended as a ‘call to arms’ in response to the deception and erosion of individual control being exercised by big tech, corporations/banks and governments. The dilemma is that this is not some unified grand conspiracy but rather the outcome of a number of overlapping and competing self-motivated agendas.
“A Failure Of Language” and to a degree “What’s Left Unsaid” question the current collapse of language, the appeal of conspiracy theories and skepticism, and the increasing failure of our ability to communicate meaningfully and where this leads. A new Babel?

“Echoes Of Ritualised Performance”, while an instrumental track, was inspired by our need to repeat inherently negative social behaviors/tropes of the past and a seeming inability to learn from these… each echo a further degraded/distorted version of an initializing event from the past.

“This Night Goes On Forever” was conceived of as a reflection on the individual consequences for those who found themselves supporting and surviving a major conflict started for the wrong reasons, and the resultant aftermath of physical, psychological traumas and guilt that extend far past the event.

The 2020 Hong Kong protests and the 2021 coup in Myanmar resonated strongly with me after having lived in Southeast Asia for 20 years. So “Alien” was inspired by photos, reportage and interviews about these events and was an attempt to try and put yourself into the head of a person who has found their world suddenly and radically changed and themselves unexpectedly at the center of violence and/or as a symbol of resistance.
“The Goal Of Seven Seconds” was to evoke an anthemic quality while presenting a scathing critique of those who ‘sell dogma and deceit’ in order to incite an ill-conceived end of days for their own personal gain.

The tracks “Crash, Burn And Resurrect” and “Control” were written as a comment on the rise of extremist rhetoric and behavior.

Q: You’ve explained how this collaboration took shape, but can you tell us more about the chemistry between you?

DG: My sense is that the chemistry comes from our overlapping but distinct musical reference points and different approaches to our creative processes. It was the embrace of these differences that provided the creative dynamic that led to many of the interesting ideas as we developed over album.

JM: It was quite interesting for me to reconnect with Don 22 years after first meeting him in 1996 Austin, TX when Numb was on tour with FLA and Die Krupps. It became clear that we share some common perspectives and ideas about different things, which also happens to carry over into music. And because of our similar yet different musical preferences and approaches in our writing styles, this played a significant part into how the album turned out. As part of the musical journey when collaborating on the album, one thing I can appreciate is being challenged in a way that I would constantly be conscious of the writing style and mood I would contribute, to deliberately not write in the same fashion I am typically accustomed to and comfortable with. It certainly helped me take a different approach to writing for this project and in general.

Q: “As experienced musicians, do you still have certain influences or references when making and finishing a song? Also, how would you describe the album “Strategies Of Dissent”?

DG: In many ways you never outgrow your early influences as they are a baseline to which you add, refine and push-back against over the years. While I’m always listening to new artists and across genres, I find those early influences still subtly find their way into my more recent work.

“Strategies Of Dissent” is an album in the ‘old-school’ sense, a series of thematically connected songs that have been ordered in a manner so as to present the listener with a loosely structured narrative rather than just a collection of songs. I feel this provides a more interesting experience for the listener and allows them to get a better sense of where the project is coming from.

JM: Having been exposed to so many different kinds of music styles, genres, and artists over the years (to include the discovery of new bands regularly), there are many references I feel that have made their way (subconsciously) into music I’ve written years ago including some of the more recent work I’ve done. I think it’s inevitable.

With “Strategies Of Dissent” we set out to capture the intensity of early Electro-Industrial and integrate this into more contemporary Electronic music sound. The album as a whole, in my opinion, is homogeneous in that each song works well independently and thematically throughout the entire album.

Q: What does the future hold after this album? Do you have any concrete plans at the moment?

DG: We’ve been thinking about a follow-up release (EP?) with a combination of new material and dub versions of some tracks from “Strategies Of Dissent”. We’re also exploring the possibility for a version of Data Void to do some live European shows.

JM: We have discussed in passing the idea of working on some new material, whether that would be a new single/EP or possibly a new album at some point to also include some alternate versions of existing tracks. We’re also considering live alternate versions of the songs for some shows in Europe later this year and next.

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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Out now is a brand new version of the Front Line Assembly track “Molotov”, featuring Alex Reed of Seeming. The single comes backed by and instrumental version of the track.

On the new single, Alex Reed comments: “It was a thrill to work with Front Line Assembly and their music. “Molotov” offers a lot of what the band does best, and I aimed for a classic, melodic FLA sound in reshaping it. When it came time to lay down vocals, I got thinking about how cyberpunk narratives usually hinge on one big turning point—a single explosion, or the broadcast of a suppressed truth. And maybe that’s romantic, but it’s rarely how real-world change happens. I wanted a lyric that’s more about keeping your head in the game than lighting a fuse. And that’s an urgent message I think, because it turns out that villains can be unmasked and people will still vote for them. Change doesn’t just happen. So I wrote the words to explore differences between merely revolutionary aesthetics and real grassroots action. The song challenges us to remember that progress has more to do with commitment than exhilaration.”

You can check the single on Bandcamp.

About Seeming

New York-based author, theorist, and composer Alex Reed broke out with his post-industrial art-pop project Seeming when the LP “Madness & Extinction” was released in 2014.

2017’s followup album “SOL: A Self-Banishment Ritual” introduced – surprise surprise – 1970s funk and psychedelia into Seeming’s sound. Reed also wrote the 400-page book “Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music” of which the elements transpire in his music with themes such as crises of politics, race, population, and animal rights.

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: Cinematic, Industrial, Tribal.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Scott Fox and his sonic brainchild iVardensphere are back on track, unleashing the Canadian project’s first new studio album in five years. “Ragemaker” features thirteen songs.

Content: iVardensphere has accomplished its most Cinematic work to date. This work is driven by overwhelming drum layers -mainly performed by different kinds of authentic drums, and solid, orchestral arrangements. It’s a bombastic and powerful production. The album also features guest vocals by Jesse Thom, Brittany Bindrim (I:Scintilla), The Rain Within, Seeming and Brien Hindman.  Except the song by Brien Hindman, all other vocals have been produced as chants and a kind of vocal effect.

+ + + : I already heard great works by iVardensphere, but this album is going far beyond my expectations. The production left me breathless. I can’t remember ever hearing a project active in this scene with such an overwhelming, bombastic and powerful drum production. It has a transcendental effect, which together with the Epic electronic arrangements creates the perfect Soundtrack for an imaginary sci/fi or fantasy movie. The clip they made for “The Shattering Queen” (previously released as a single) is showing this ritual/fantasy like approach. The clip is a true masterpiece by the way. Every single detail of this album is touched by perfectionism. It’s a powerful Soundtrack, mixing rhythmic and orchestral electronic arrangements. The addition of the vocals adds a heavenly and also mysterious touch. Brittany Bindrim did an amazing job, but there’s definitely something to say about each singer. “The Shattering Queen” remains a brilliant song, but I even prefer the title track for its phenomenal and elevating bombast. Scott Fox and his gang have accomplished a unique piece of music; an album deserving to be used as Soundtrack for a great movie like “The Matrix”.

– – – : The opening- and last song aren’t essential pieces, but let’s consider them as an ‘intro’ and ‘outro’. No reason to complain.

Conclusion: iVardensphere has accomplished a masterpiece. This album might serve as a reference for other musicians. Respect!

Best songs: “Ragemaker”, “The Shattering Queen”, “Varunastra”, “The Age Of Angels Is Over”, “The Maw”, “Draconian”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/ivardensphere

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

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

(Photo by Benjamin Torrey) Seeming has launched a new track and video, “Reality is Afraid”. The song appears on Seeming’s upcoming, third album, “The Birdwatcher’s Guide to Atrocity”, out August 21st on Artoffact Records.

“The Birdwatcher’s Guide to Atrocity” was co-produced with percussionist Sarah Hennies and features a guest vocal by Bill Drummond of legendary UK duo The KLF – Drummond’s first recorded vocal appearance in two decades.

Seeming is the project of Alex Reed, with Aaron Fuleki. They had previously been in the band ThouShaltNot.

Here’s the video for “Reality is Afraid”.

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

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: American future-pop project Unitcode:Machine is the sonic brainchild of Eric Kristoffer. The project is already active for a couple of years now, but it seems that the past few years weren’t very prolific. Anyway, “Tyranny” is the project’s debut album released by the end of 2019. The work features twelve songs plus four extra (remixes) on the CD format.

Content: Unitcode:Machine is not exactly what I should call a traditional electro-pop project. The music sounds definitely too raw for that and is even mixed with elements of EBM. The vocals are perfectly matching with this rough approach. You also can hear some anger in the way of singing. The cadence of some songs is also pretty fast, empowering the global production. I also noticed some good-old 80s elements emerging at a few cuts and especially in the leads. Notice by the way three songs are featured by Blue Images, Antonym and Databomb.

+ + + : The least I can say is that this official debut album is well-crafted. But I also like the power of this album and its harsh production, which also comes through in the vocals. “Survive” is my favorite song for its remarkable sound treatments and its danceable tempo. Among the remixes I noticed a real cool one by Provision.

– – – : I think some cuts might have been a little bit harder or into EBM vibes. I think the ‘harder’ side of this album is also the most convincing one.

Conclusion: “Tyranny” is an interesting and rather cool debut for a project with potential!

Best songs: “Survive”, “This Truth”, “Instinct”, “Instigator”, “This Truth – Brighter Future Mix by Provision”, “Damnatio Memoriae – Seeming Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/unitc0de

Label: http://skyqode.com / www.facebook.com/skyqode

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: Athan Maroulis will be always linked to Spahn Ranch and Black Tape For A Blue Girl, but the past few years he got involved with a new project called Noir. The album “Darkly Near” (2013) was a cool introduction to the dark-romantic pop style of the project. A few more EP’s were released while “A Pleasure” (released by the end of 2019) is the newest production. Athan Maroulis got some help from programmer/producer Erik Gustafson (Adoration Destroyed, Grendel), keyboardist/vocalist Kai Irina Hahn (The Sedona Effect), keyboardist/vocalist Demetra Songs and cello player Tracey Moth (Antidote For Annie).

Content: The title song (cf. “A Pleasure To Burn”) is a dark, bombastic outburst with a carrying chorus and featuring the charismatic vocals of Athan Maroulis. The song was remixed by Fires and Seeming.

We next get another new song (cf. “Luxury”), which has been written by Athan Maroulis, Erik Gustafson and Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen ao). This song is more evasive. The last song of the EP is a “Reprise” of “Luxury”, which rather sounds as a short outro. Last, but not least you also will discover a cover version of the famous Fad Gadget song “Back To Nature”.

+ + + : Athan Maroulis remains a brilliant, charismatic singer. His unique timbre of voice injects a true spirit into the music. And the music of the title song is quite interesting for the mixing of bombast and refinement. Among the remixes I especially recommend the up-tempo edit by Fires. Covering “Back To Nature” is not that original, but the way the song has been adapted into the bombastic ‘style-noir’ is absolutely remarkable.

– – – : I didn’t experience “A Pleasure” as an absolute ‘hit’, but Noir isn’t exactly the kind of band achieving poppy-hits!

Conclusion: We can’t speak about a come-back, but “A Pleasure” is a good way to put Noir back on the map!

Best songs: “A Pleasure To Burn”, “A Pleasure To Burn – Fires Remix”, “Back To Nature – Radio Edit”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/NOIRmetropolis

Label: www.metropolis–records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

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

Numb is a Canadian electronic formation that saw the daylight in 1986. The band was driven by Don Gordon, David Hall and Sean Stubbs. Singer David Collins joined the band in 1995. Numb started as an electronic formation, but the sound progressively evolved towards a harsh and merciless industrial sound. Numb on stage was a bit like facing a merciless noise wall. They released several successful albums on major companies such as KK Records and Zoth Ommog. The band splitted in 1998 and instigator Don Gordon moved to Vietnam. Twenty one years after the last album “Language Of Silence” released by the long-time defunct Zoth Ommog, Numb strikes back with a noticeable electro-driven opus “Mortal Geometry”. The work got released on Metropolis Records and reveals a somewhat old-school, fascinating electronic creation. It talked about it with Don Gordon.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Mortal Geometry” stands for the return of Numb, but also the return of Don Gordon as musician/composer. How do you look back at the past years, the feeling to be no longer releasing new music and what incited you to strike back and writing this new work?

Don: After completing “Language Of Silence” and “Halo_Gen” in 1999/2000 I had intended on taking a break from Numb. However, this break extended for longer than originally planned due to a number of opportunities that I was able to pursue when I arrived in Vietnam. That being said, the limited amount of Numb material released over the last 20 years (ie. remixes for other artists and some compilations/re-issues) doesn’t reflect a lack of activity on my part in other areas of music/sound production. After moving to Vietnam I focused more on commissions, commercial sound design and production rather than Numb. A couple of highlights from the commissions included writing and performing the music for “Missed Connections”, a video installation work by artist Richard Streitmatter-Tran that is now part of the Singapore Art Museum permanent collection. The track “The Waiting Room”, which is included on “Mortal Geometry”, had its origins as a short 30-second soundtrack for a YouTube promotional clip to the novella of the same name by the literary erotica author Remittance Girl. 

I was also engaged in audio production work in advertising and teaching music/sound production at a university in Vietnam.

About 3 years ago, I started writing material as a personal response to the social/political changes I was seeing and Numb felt like the relevant instrument through which to comment… “Mortal Geometry” is the outcome of this.

Q: You are a kind of veteran, who has seen it all; you have been involved with music since the 80s, you released multiple successful albums with different projects, you played live all over the world, worked with prominent record companies etc. How do you look back at it all and what have been the main changes/evolutions throughout the years?

Don: A complete answer to this could probably fill a book but to summarize a few observations:

-The evolution of music technologies from the 80’s through to the present day has completely transformed the way in which I write, record and produce music. The creative/technical potential that I have to work with in my home studio was unimaginable not so many years ago.

-The mass adoption of digital media technologies has radically changed how music is consumed and used by audiences as well as redefining the relationship between artists and their fans.

-The music databases at Spotify, Apple etc have created this interesting scenario in which they both provide an incredible resource for music fans and musicians while at the same time creating a situation in which new artists are now competing for attention with the whole history of recorded music

Q: “Mortal Geometry” sounds a bit like ‘going back to the roots’, but what kind of album did you want to compose and what means this album to you compared to previous Numb-productions?

Don: From the outset I intended for “Mortal Geometry” feel contemporary, but recognized that at the same time it also needed to evoke a sense of continuity with previous Numb releases. One of the ways this was accomplished was to consciously reference elements of earlier Numb to act as a bridge… a bit like picking up on a lapsed conversation with an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time through the introduction of some familiar ideas and then to build on these as the foundation for new explorations.

The actual approach to production for “Mortal Geometry” was quite different from previous releases reflecting both changes in technology and in the fact that as a solo production I was able to bring the vocals into the process earlier on. This allowed for a more tightly integrated link between the music, lyrics and vocal delivery.

Q: Next to the harder songs I also noticed cinematic/ambient passages running through “Mortal Geometry”. Where do they come from and do you’ve references and/or favorite artists when it comes to this specific music genre?

Don: Numb-releases have always included aggressive industrial/EDM tracks along with abstract/cinematic tracks. On “Mortal Geometry” this is more pronounced as there are several instances in which both aggressive and cinematic elements are combined within a single track.

I still think of an album as an integrated whole through which the listener navigates, rather than as a collection individual tracks.

My interest in cinematic/abstract music goes way back to my first hearing of releases like side 2 of Bowie’s “Low”-album, early Berlin period Tangerine Dream and composers like Edgard Varese. My exposure to traditional Asian musical forms over the last 20 years, in particular Gamelan and Smot, has furthered this interest. There is an abstract trance-like quality to this music that is particularly strong when experienced live.

Q: You said you started to write new songs ‘as a personal response to the social/political changes’ so what did you try to express with the album title and the lyrical content of the album?

Don: The title and artwork reflect a convergence of different themes that are explored on the album. Living in Asia for the last 20 years has had a massive influence on me so it was important that the cover art visually capture an element of this experience.  The visual core of the artwork is a series of images by Andrew Stiff who produces ‘extrusion photographs’ as a part of his PhD research. In particular he is looking at the application of Tschumi’s architectural theories of space, event, and movement in the context of the (destructive) urbanization in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. This approach to representation easily extends to include how digital technologies are mapping/recording our lives as data points within spatial geometries over time… in essence, surveillance to predict and control. In parallel to this there is the impact of digital disruption on communications/media that corrupt and erode meaning by intent (editing/redaction/hacking), error (glitch), spectacle and apathy… and through this, a death of social rationality. So “Mortal Geometry” is a kind of metaphor for this convergence visualized through an Asian lens.

Lyrically the album presents a number of themes that reappear across the different tracks. The challenge was to present these in a manner that draws a listener in rather than coming across as didactic… to seduce and entertain rather than having the listener feel that they are being lectured to. I think that Mortal Geometry has been successful in this.

“Redact” is very much a reaction to the corruption of language and meaning in the media-sphere to ultimately redefine a new compliant ‘reality’ that aligns with the narrative of those wanting power and control. It contextualizes ideas presented in the novel “1984” within the modern media environment of social media, commercialized news, contemporary technologies and the rise of authoritarianism. “When Gravity Fails” reflects some of the same issues but presents this more from the perspective society becoming increasing divided and falling apart.

“Hush”, suggests that rather than the dystopian cyber-punk futures, or a technological utopian futures suggested by some… these have been replaced by a ‘future’ that looks suspiciously like the past and which in turn looks like the present… a kind of ‘forever now’ loop. Mark Fisher and others have written about this sense of ‘haunted by lost futures’, the ‘persistent recycling of the past’ and an ‘inability to escape old social forms’.

“Complicit Silence” builds further on some of these themes while at the same time rejecting a simplistic, homogenous view of society. Silence is about so much more than just an absence of sound. Its power comes from what it reveals or makes you confront… the objects, events and ideas that are normally masked or unspoken and as a result gain an acceptance just through their being. Noise, on the other hand, is about immersion in complexity, diversity and change…qualities that I see as desirable. So the line ‘resurrect the worlds of noise’ is a call to embrace this.

“How It Ends” is about lost opportunities, a society contracting on itself, a focus on spectacle over the real and the rise of the sense of ‘the other’ through the distancing of human interaction.

Instrumental tracks like “The Waiting Room”, “Shadow Play” and “Mortal Geometry” reflect aspects of my time living in Asia while the ‘morality of altitude’ theme from the first Numb-album finds a new expression on “Mortal Geometry” in the track “Summer Lawns”.

Q: I think too much bands are sharing a similar sound today while “Mortal Geometry” sounds as a truly antidote! I can’t understand the more equipment and facilities so-called ‘artists’ have the less creative they become! What makes “Mortal Geometry” different from the rest and what means ‘creativity’ to you?

Don: For me creativity is a process in which an initial core idea gets translated into a final form which successfully communicates its intended ideas and emotional context. The challenge in this is in developing the core idea into the larger form that both amplifies and reinforces the initial inspiration without losing its essence. This can be harder than it might seem and for me is where most of the effort is applied. Interesting core ideas often come out of improvisations or  ‘planned accidents’ which help you get beyond your own habits and the strictures of hardware/software interfaces that try to force you into a particular way of interacting with them.

“Mortal Geometry” succeeds at a number of levels. It is a very personal statement that incorporates a diverse range of experiences and influences; it challenges the listener with new ideas while still retaining a sense of familiarity.

The ‘early’ decades of electronic music coincided with quantum leaps in music technologies… the introduction of drum machines, analog/FM/wavetable/digital synths, samplers, etcetera. This meant that musicians, both through intent and chance, were creating new timbres, forms and genres that had never been heard before almost by default. While music technology is still evolving today these changes are much more incremental so the seeming quantum leaps in creativity appear to be fewer. Also, electronic music has been with us for at least 40+ years and as a result has developed a canon in much the same way that rock or classical music has. One outcome of this is that new electronic music tends to be viewed and contextualized against this framework by audiences and artists.

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 New York City-based dark electronic act NØIR will be releasing a 6-song EP entitled “A Pleasure”. It will be the band’s first new material since 2017. NØIR consists of vocalist Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch, Black Tape for a Blue Girl) and features programmer/producer Erik Gustafson (Adoration Destroyed, Grendel), keyboardist/vocalist Kai Irina Hahn (The Sedona Effect) and keyboardist/vocalist Demetra Songs.

“A Pleasure” includes the lead song “A Pleasure to Burn” with remixes by Fires as well as the band Seeming along with a new song entitled “Luxury”, co-written by Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen) and features cellist Tracey Moth (Antidote for Annie).

Dedicated to famed English actress Julie Christie, this release also features a cover of Fad Gadget’s “Back To Nature”. “A Pleasure” will be released digitally by Metropolis Records on November 15th and will be supported by a string of select NØIR live dates.

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: Gothic, cold-wave, dark-pop, minimal-electro, dream-pop.

Background/Info: “Dark Nouveau” features a fine selection of twenty four bands from all over the world and dealing with ‘dark’ music. The compilation has been realized by Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, NOIR ao). “Dark Nouveau” stands for the contemporary exposure of ‘dark’ music.

Artists: NOIR, FTR, Paradox Obscur, She Past Away, Ash Code, Hante, Dark Door, Antipole, Shadow Age, Balvanera, Skeleton Hands, Dancing Plague, Push/Button/Press, Night Fail, Canter, Decedent vs. Slighter, Seeming, The Harrow, Dead Leaf Echo, Twin Tribes, Weird Candle, The Shyness Of Strangers, Iamtheshadow, Inopera.

Content: Twenty four bands is an impressive tracklist to celebrate the newest formats of ‘dark’ music. The featured bands are covering an impressive canvas, which is moving from gothic and cold-wave to dark-pop and wave-pop. Somewhere in between you also will discover bands dealing with dream-pop, minimal electronics, but also a few artists clearly inspired by the cold-wave icons such as Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, The Cure ao.

+ + + : Athan Maroulis did a great job on this compilation. He brought a nice selection of artists together, but there’s an impressive list of great songs. From the Turkish goth sensation She Past Away to the phenomenal minimal-electro from Greek Paradox Obscur to the dark-pop from Argentina project Balvanera to the sexy French dark-wave revelation FTR to the raw electronics from Canadian duo Weird Candle to the Portuguese hybrid between Skeletal Family and Joy Division called Iamtheshadow, this compilation has a lot to offer. It also is an opportunity to discover less familiar bands and who knows, maybe further Metropolis artists. 

– – – : I don’t have a real minus point about this compilation, which is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best I’ve heard this year. It’s just a pity this  work is not available as a physical format.

Conclusion:  Most of the compilations today are a kind of shop window for the labels, but luckily there are still a few compilations bringing something new! That’s why “Dark Nouveau” is a must have!

Best bands: Paradox Obscur, FTR, She Past away, Balvanera, Weird Candle, Iamtheshadow, NOIR, Dancing Plague.

Rate: (8½).

Label: www.metropolis–records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

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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Valhall returns – one year after their second record “Grimoire” – with a special remix edition: “Grim/More”. The Swedish duo offers here a remixed version of “Grimoire” that takes each track from the original. Remixers on duty were Artoffact Records recording artists Seeming, Ritualz, and Glass Apple Bonzai, along with friends Xenturion Prime, SØLVE, and more!

And there’s more, the remix album also holds an exclusive track: “Hivemind”.

You can now exclusively for Side-Line readers listen to a first track from the album – which will be available on CD as well – below!

Valhall was initiated early 2012 and mixes genres with a focus on Witch House, Wave, Neofolk and Dark Electronics.

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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The fine Canadian label ArtOfFact records has launched a mega-sale with tons of releases priced at just 1$. You can visit this special sales page right here on Bandcamp.

Included in this special Bandcamp sale action are releases by such bands as Controlled Bleeding, Dead When I Found Her, Seeming, Out Out, Legend, Encephalon, Ghost Twin, Glass Apple Bonzai, Valhall, Noise Unit, SÓLSTAFIR, Nash the Slash, 3teeth, Mirror (Dave Gahan), Slow, Mobile Clones, Images in Vogue, …

Happy hunting!

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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Synthpop act Glass Apple Bonzai aka the solo creative output of Daniel X. Belasco, is back with a new album, “In the Dark” via the Toronto-based Artoffact Records. Side-Line readers who follow us on Spotify will already have noticed that the band landed on our popular playlist today thanks to their authentic 80s synthpop touch.

So far Glass Apple Bonzai has self-released two albums of synthwave and synthpop, and with quite some success as the band won the ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Electronic Dance Music Artist of the Year’ awards at the Niagara Music Awards in 2015 and 2016. They also performed at this year’s Iceland Airwaves Festival in Reykjavik, and played in Canada at the Terminus and Aftermath Festivals.

It’s the project’s third album and the first for a label. “In the Dark” will be released on December 9th as a 2CD digipak (order it here directly from the label’s mail-order) and with both black and purple vinyl formats following in the new year (but already available for ordering from the label’s mail-order). The album also features guest contributions from Alex Reed (Seeming) and fellow Canadian Hello Moth. The limited edition double-CD digipak includes an entire bonus disc of outtakes, demos, weird shit, and remixes.

Below is Glass Apple Bonzai with “Holy War”, the 2nd track from the album.

We also asked Daniel X. Belasco to define us the 5 albums that inspired “In the Dark”:

My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult – I See Good Spirits and I See Bad Spirits

Daniel X. Belasco: “Let’s start with the obvious. The first few My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult albums played a large part in the general tone and campiness I was going for with In the Dark. Most notably the usage of movie dialogue.”

“And This is What the Devil Does”

Talk Talk – The Party’s Over

Daniel X. Belasco: “To me, Talk Talk are one of the greatest bands ever and they serve as a constant source of inspiration for me in terms of songwriting and general attitude.”

“Talk Talk”

Killing Joke – Brighter Than a Thousand Suns

Daniel X. Belasco: “Like with Talk Talk, I view Killing Joke as one of the greatest bands that has ever existed. The lyrical content, the song construction, their power. Brighter Than a Thousand Suns has a wonderful ethereal quality that find its way into my music in various shapes, but it’s the raw awesomeness of Killing Joke that continues to inspire me.”

“Rubicon”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFcGLAfNwSs

Front 242 – Official Version

Daniel X. Belasco: “I was listening to Official Version a lot while working on In the Dark and the influence is fairly obvious in spots, notably anywhere where the synthbass and drums are locked in tight with each other.”

“Masterhit”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXtd_9-yWi0

The System – Sweat

Daniel X. Belasco: “I only discovered The System a couple of years ago while on a synthfunk binge and since then I’ve been hooked on their raw and emotional, yet simple funkiness. I’m a total sucker for strict mechanical beats and basslines and The System have that locked down hard.”

“You Are in My System”

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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6 years after the “Hel” album, Germany’s Nina Kernicke aka Allseits returns with “Chimäre”. The more than one hour long 6-track album comes in a limited edition of just 600 copies in a 8-panel digipack. Pre-orders are accepted right here via Cyclic Law’s webshop. The album will be officially out on January 21st 2016.

Here’s what the label says about the concept of the album: “(The album is) inspired by the seeming duality most of us carry, the fight between what one desires to be and one’s current state. A look at the illusory world constructed by the mind and the fact that everything is relative and a matter of perspective. “Chimäre” is a metaphor for doubt and subsequent questions. No one truth exists. A surreal journey submerged in profound guitar drones and hypnotic rhythmic pulses, “Chimäre” sees the grand return of a true musical force.”

You can listen to a preview of the album below.

Allseits is the solo project of the German instrumentalist Nina Kernicke known from her recent collaboration with German drone pioneers Troum of which Nina has also been a recent live member of and her work under her other alias, All Sides. Kernicke uses guitar, bass, drums and sampling to create her work.

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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The Canadian online mail-orderStorming The Base has launched its Halloween sales on all Artefact releases (in a tongue-in-cheek way if you watch the above banner closely). As usual, there is plenty of goodness to be found in their offer at pretty low prices from plenty of artists (including a ton of CDs at not even 5 euro). There’s also plenty of vinyl available including material from Front Line Assembly, Psyche, Haujobb, Cevin Key & Ken Hiwatt, Apoptygma Berzerk and many many more. Go and have a look right here in the sales section.

We were informed that the label is also give a 10% discount on the releases from Artoffact.

Speaking of which, if you an EU citizen, Artoffact is now shipping vinyl from the EU too – which makes it cheaper for EU residents. Check what they have on offer right here in their new EU webstore.

They will be using a flat fee for shipping from their office in Helsinki, Finland. This means that there will be no extra taxes, fees, or customs charges (all taxes are included in the price), plus they’ll be using a flat-rate shipping of 17,50 Euro (free for Finnish residents), orders are dispatched the same week they arrive and FedEx shipping guarantees fast, trackable delivery.

Available for direct ordering are vinyl titles from Azar Swan, Cevin Key, Download, Front Line Assembly, Marsheaux, Mlada Fronta, Rational Youth, Psyche & Luminance, Saltillo, Seeming and Volt 9000. Available are also pre-orders for vinyl releases from Advanced Art. Darkhive, Cevin Key, Front Line Assembly, Land of Giants, Haujobb, Of Tanz Victims, Psyche and The Gruesomes. You can find all these vinyl releases right here.

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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