(By Stéphane Froidcoeur for Inferno Sound Diaries/Side-Line Reviews) 2022 has been once again a sad, bloody and terrible year. Living in a mad world music once more remains a true therapy to appease pain and frustration. Concerts and festivals came back; the perfect place to meet friends again. Artists remain prolific releasing great studio work. So I’m once more closing the year by a personal selection of my very own ‘best of’-albums of the year.

Over 700 productions have been selected while 540  reviews have been made all over the year. Some productions have been refused because the style of music didn’t fit, while other reviews will be postponed to 2023. I’m really grateful to all labels, bands and promoters considering my work and efforts and I hope you’ll go on providing me new promos next year.

I one again have to express my deepest gratitude to Rich Bova (NEIKKA RPM) who for years and years now is reading, correcting and improving my reviews. Without Rich there would be no reviews. I also want to thank Bernard Van Isacker – chief redactor Side-Line Music Magazine – for the successful collaboration. 

Up now to 2023. I already reduced my activities this year and will move on reducing it in 2023. I made my first reviews and interviews back in 1991 (!). Some of the readers and artists weren’t even born when I wrote my first review for Side-Line. So after more than 30 years non-stop activities I think it’s not that strange to move on slowly.

I also want to express a big ‘F*** you’ to so-called ‘artists’ and label owners who don’t realise and appreciate the work I’m doing by making reviews and preparing interviews to get them in the spotlights. The attitude and less of respect shown by those people – luckily a very few number – is just unacceptable… but I’m afraid it reflects the world we’re living in… Behind a genius artist is not always hiding a great person… It’s quite strange to realise the ’biggest’- and long-time established artists from this scene often are the most accessible ones.

Writing reviews remains very ‘subjective’ and always a source of discussion, but keep in mind it will be always the perception of the reviewer. I can assure you I’m always trying to argue my reviews the best as possible. A review will be never objective, but has to be honest!

Like every year I’ve made a selection from the best albums of the year. This ‘TOP 25’ covers different styles like EBM, Dark-Electro, IDM, Synth-Pop, Ethereal, Dark-Ambient, Industrial, Cinematographic, Gothic, Post-Punk, Cold/Dark-Wave, Dark-Techno and a few related genres. It remains an exciting but tough exercise.

This ‘TOP 25’ is taken from the promotional material I got while compilations, ‘best of’-productions, EP’s and singles were not considered.

So, here’s my ‘TOP 25’ from 2022 and don’t forget to share it with your friends….

Top 25 albums 2022

1. IVARDENSPHERE: “Ragemaker” – Metropolis Records
2. DIE ROBO SAPIENS : “Robo Sapien Race” – Alfa Matrix
3. EBE04 : “Inrush – Give/Take
4. CALDON GLOVER: “Labyrintia” – Cyclic Law
5. ROME: “Hegemonikon” – Trisol
6. NEIKKA RPM: “Scorpio In The Hourglass – Alfa Matrix
7. VANGUARD: “Spectrum” – Infacted Recordings
8. SUICIDE COMMANDO: “Goddestructor” – Out Of Line
9. ELM: “Penetrator” – Alfa Matrix
10. OBERER TOTPUNKT: “Totentanz” – Danse Macabre Records
11. THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE: “Fascination” – Metropolis Records
12. BLACKBOOK: “Confessions Of The Innocent” – DarkTunes Music Group
13. BEYOND THE GHOST: “Sundown” – Cryo Chamber
14. THEN COMES SILENCE: “Hunger” – Metropolis Records
15. PRINCIPE VALLIENTE: “Barricades” – Metropolis Records
16. DAWN OF ASHES: “Scars Of The Broken” – Artoffact Records
17. MONSTERGOD: “Ozymandias” – Space Race Records
18. STATIQBLOOM: “Threat” – Sonic Groove Records
19. AXIOME: “Field Guide To Alien Planets And Other Disco Balls – Audiophob
20. REICHSFEIND: “Darken” – Alfa Matrix
21. FIRST AID 4 SOULS: “I Am The Night” – Alfa Matrix
22. ORDO ROSARIUS EQUILIBRIO: “Nihilist Notes And The Perputual Quest 4 Meaning In Nothing” – Out Of Line
23. KILL SHELTER: “Asylum” – Manic Depression Records / Metropolis Records
24. JAGATH: “Svapna” – Cold Spring Records
25. KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND: “Voodoo” – Shyrec

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, Body-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Two years after the debut-album “Follow The Light” released on ScentAir Records, Italian trio Navigator signed to EL Product to unleash their new opus.

Content: “Breathe” is a diversified piece of music which is carried by Electro-Pop as the main influence. Cold-Wave bass lines and retro-like synth sounds create a melancholic sound universe. Most of the songs are danceable and achieved with melodic sequences. The vocals are in English revealing a typical accent.

+ + + : Navigator confirms the potential revealed at “Follow The Light”. The production becomes more professional featuring well-crafted songs and a great mix -done by Mika Rossi by the way. I like the most powerful songs for their danceable vibes and EBM elements. “Glove Box” is the ultimate song in this approach. Next to powerful songs and danceable vibes, the work also features delicate sound treatments.

– – – : A few softer passages -like “Atlas featuring Moltonia)”, are not as interesting.

Conclusion: Electro-Pop with a wider sound spectrum. Navigator is an interesting formation which is progressively getting better and better.

Best songs: “Glove Box”, “Breathe”, “The End Doesn’t Spare”, “Cover Me”, “Ophelia Over The Grass”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/NavigatorProjectOfficial

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords Read the news on ‘Breathe’.

Listen to “Breathe”:

About Navigator

Navigator, performing as Navigator Project, is a darkwave / synthpop trio based in Naples, Italy, set up by Amir Sabljaković and joined by his son Daniel and Caroline Darko. The band debuted in 2020 with the album “Follow The Light” on ScentAir Records. “Breathe”, the ten-track follow-up, is released on Space Race Records according to the label credited on the band’s Bandcamp page and the Side-Line news announcement, although this review’s own background text names EL Product; the discrepancy is noted here rather than merged into a single unverified claim.

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

Polish Monstergod-duo this year released their third official full length album “Ozymandias” by Space Race Records.  Miłosz and Marek don’t exactly release new work at regular basis, which probably explains the sound is in constant progress. “Ozymandias” is mixing an impressive number of influences resulting in a kind of ‘Epic-Industrial-Pop-Metal’-work. It’s a major production mixing sensuality and bombast. I talked about this masterpiece with Marek.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Let’s get back to the origins of Monstergod. How did it all started and what was the main purpose when it comes to composition and production? And how did you see the project evolving?

Marek: Me and Miłosz have met about 2000, we became friends, talked about music, books, life etc and in 2003 or 2004 we decided to try making music together. We didn’t have any particular purposes, just wanted to make some music for fun and maybe play a few gigs around. So, it’s going. As well, we usually work on albums together. This time, during recording “Ozymandias”, I was more involved than before. For example I’ve recorded as a few of vocals.

Q: Let’s talk about your sources of inspiration, which are going further than only music. Literature and poetry seem to be very important for Monstergod. Tell us a bit more about these influences and the way you transpose literature and poetry into sound?

Marek: At the beginning of our music journey, we just wanted to make some music inspired by The Sisters Of Mercy, Suicide Commando and Laibach with great poetry of William Blake and Charles Baudelaire.

The general idea is still evolving by adding new inspirations and new poets. On “Ozymandias” we have added, for example, Friedrich Nietzsche to our lyric sources. 

We usually make music first and after that we try to find lyrics for it. It’s not a sophisticated process. Much more interesting is how to find a unique sound to be not just a copycat of other bands but try to make something fresh. That’s why we try to use different instruments on our albums. Of course, what we do is based on electronic, computer-generated sounds but we’re not afraid to play bass, guitars, harp or even banjo or baglama. If something adds something unusual to the music – we would like to use it.

Q: How did the writing and production of “Ozymandias” happened? And tell us a bit more about the title, which must be inspired by  Percy Bysshe Shelley?

Marek: “Ozymandias” is, in my opinion, the most dark and depressive album we have ever done. I started to work on demos back in 2018 but most of the material was created in Covid pandemic. Title song “Ozymandias” was composed as one of the last songs. I wanted something to open the album, to show how we evolve from electronic to epic choir, bass and guitar sound.

I always liked Shelley’s poem. I had no idea how to use it on music. After watching “Alien Covenant” with so great opening scene and declamation of this poem by one of main characters –David, I knew I have to use it at least as a vocal sample. After recording music I added vocals, choirs and used the whole poem as lyric.

Q: Sound-wise this album is a great mix of influences resulting in a kind of ‘Epic-Industrial-Metal-Pop’-production. What is the sound all about and what have been the input of all members and guests -but especially Dariusz ‘Daray’ Brzozowski in the final production? 

Marek: When we started to mix this album I had all of the songs as open music projects ready to be changed if any ideas come up. Once I asked Cesar Soto from Ministry to help me record guitars for “Austere”. He agreed, but after receiving tracks I decided to change a bit an arrangement. Filip ‘Heinrich’, who mixed the album, added bass, some synths and asked me to record live drums with his friend. A moment later, we called Daray to help us.

Daray is a great drummer, probably the best I’ve ever met. He’s a true professional. I had all the drum parts written in midi, Daray played them all adding his own flavor, music sense and feelings. After recording I was more than surprised how it all sound together.

The real hero in this album production was Filip Heinrich who spent hours on calls with me but was also open to record some additional instruments or even changed some arrangements. Without him the album wouldn’t sound as it is. 

Q: I experienced “Ozymandias” as a noticeable evolution in sound, but where do you place this work in the band’s history? And how did you see Monstergod evolving over the years?

Marek: Creating music for fun as I do means to find new ideas. I don’t want to record another identic album. It’s boring. I’m not focused on selling CDs or counting streaming incomes so I can experiment, I can always try to add something new to the sound or sing in German, hahaha. But, at the moment, I see “Ozymandias” as a final chapter of Monstergod history. I have no idea how to evolve further with this project.

Q: “Ozymandias” has been released in dark- and uncertain times. Do you think music and arts generally speaking can bring relief and maybe a solution by connecting people?

Marek: “Ozymandias” is also a reflection of times we live in and my own personal problems I was struggling with. I make music for myself to deal with my own demons and it’s my way getting a relief. If somebody else could get it in the same way –great, but if you feel it too depressive –sorry, do not blame me. Read the review of ‘Ozymandias’.

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 Italian electropop act Navigator Project debuted in 2020 with the album “Follow The Light” which we described as “a successful mix between EBM, Electro-Pop and Electro-Wave music”. They now return with the follow-up “Breathe” on Space Race Records.

According to the band the new 10-track strong album “is characterized by a more defined, mature musicality, which incorporates instrumental insights and vocal details”. The band which is based in Naples was set up by Amir Sabljaković and joined by his son Daniel and Caroline Darko. You can find an interview with Navigator Project right here.

Here’s already a first video for the track “Glove Box”. Read the review of ‘Breathe’.

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.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Without becoming a leading Electro-Pop formation TourdeForce became a familiar name in the Electro-Pop scene. Several albums have been released over the years. This work brings us back to the years between 2009 and 2013. It’s an opportunity to discover remixes from songs of that period, but also demo tracks, cover versions and previously unreleased stuff.

Content: The main source of inspiration is Electro-Pop music, which has been now mixed with pure Dance-Pop and then moving into catchy, melancholic songs. Foretaste, Syrian, Luca Urbani, Dekad, Porta Vittoria and TourdeForce took care of the remixes while there’s also one song featuring Nova Pulsar. There are also cover versions of Novy Svet and Diorama. Most of the songs are sung in English, but you’ll also notice Italian vocals.

+ + + : This is not just a ‘best of’ from a period in time, but the originality is that it’s much more than simply remixes as most of the band still contributed by vocals. The previously unreleased songs and demo cuts are adding a little bonus to the work. I’m more into the ‘classical’, catchy, Electro-Pop songs like “Dancing Days” and the 2022 mix of “One July Night”. There’s also something to say about the minimal remix of “Masterplan” by Foretaste and the cool remix of “Modern Affair” by Luca Urbani

– – – : I’m not that much into the pure Dance-Pop opener “Falling In The Dark” revealing a too commercial approach. I realize the previously unreleased cuts and demos are less convincing.

Conclusion: I’ve never been totally convinced by the sound of TourdeForce, which according to me is missing an extra catchy touch.

Best songs: “One July Night”, “Dancing Days”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/tourdeforce1

Label: www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords

Side-Line reported on the compilation ahead of release in Italian electro pop project TourdeForce revisits past in ‘Compendium vol. 1’. Listen to “Compendium, Vol. 1”:

About TourdeForce

TourdeForce is an electro-wave and synth-pop project from Bergamo, Italy, founded in 2004 by musician Christian Ryder, initially working with vocalist Kyt Walken for selected recordings and live shows. The project’s sound is a hybrid of electro-wave, EBM, punk-tinged pop and experimental electronic textures.

Early material included the self-titled album “TourdeForce” in the mid-2000s on the Bergamo-based label My Owl Music, followed by “We’re Not Underground” and “Colours in Life” at the end of the decade. During the same period, tracks appeared on various compilations and tribute releases.

The project in the meantime had signed to EKP (or EK Product), a label founded in Naples in December 2008. From 2010, EK expanded into two labels: EK Product, dedicated to darker and heavier sounds, and Space Race Records, focusing on synthpop, futurepop and IDM. TourdeForce would from then on be released under Space Race Records.

In the first half of the 2010s, the Bergamo-based act released “Jedem Das Seine” (2014), the first part of the so-called “Anger Trilogy”. The second part of this cycle, “Very Industrial People”, appeared in 2018 on Space Race Records. The same year the band collaborated with the Swedish act We The North for a split Ep, simply titled “Split”.

In 2021, they released the album “Vargtimmar” on Space Race Records, a work combining electro-pop and punk-influenced elements. In January 2022, TourdeForce released a tribute to Death In June: “Six in the Key of Death”. “Compendium, Vol. 1” followed on 17 June 2022, collecting 14 songs made between 2009 and 2013 during the “Colours in Life” era.

The band went on to release the “Hail the Electronic Sun” album in 2024, the single “Elektro Kommando” as a tribute to the former EKP label, and the album “Leaving Nothing Left Behind” in 2026.

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-Pop, Metal-Pop, Epic-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Polish duo Monstergod strikes back with their third official full length album. The title of the album is probably inspired by a sonnet written by English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The duo invited several guest musicians to achieve this work.  

Content: Monstergod strikes back with a heavy and meticulously composed work. The debut cut takes off as an intro and slowly evolves into Electronics to finally end in an apocalyptic Metal-driven song with cavernous vocals on top. The songs reveal different influences and numerous little details. Epic arrangements have been mixed with sensual passages, Electronic sound treatments have been empowered by furious guitar riffs while most of the songs have been driven by real drums. 

+ + + : All I can say is that Monstergod took me by surprise. This album is touched by the hand of God! It’s an overwhelming production, which has been slowly built up and often ending into a sonic climax. The title song opening the work is a perfect exposure to realize the true potential of this work. “In My Dream” is another major song from this work mixing sensuality and total bombast, but I especially enjoyed the final part featuring a children choir. It creates a divine contrast with the irresistible vocals’ production.

– – – : The one song that couldn’t convince me is the last one, which sounds a bit Rammstein driven and which is poorly inspired compared to the rest of the work.

Conclusion: Monstergod had released its magnum opus; a brilliant and overwhelming piece of music appealing to Pop-, Industrial- and Electro lovers.

Best songs: “In My Dream”, “Ozymandias”, “Perpetual”, “Cursed”, “The Grey”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.monstergod.com / www.facebook.com/monstergodmusic

Label: www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords Read the news on ‘Ozymandias’.

Listen to “Ozymandias”:

About Monstergod

Monstergod is a Polish duo built around Milosz Sobiecki, who works as Schnitter on vocals, keyboards and sampling, and Marek Smolski, who works as Smola on keyboards, sampling and programming. The two met around 2000 and started making music together in 2003 or 2004. Their early material drew on The Sisters Of Mercy, Suicide Commando and Laibach alongside the poetry of William Blake and Charles Baudelaire, with Friedrich Nietzsche added as a source on “Ozymandias”.

The project self-released “Reborn Monster” in 2008, then issued “Resurrected” through EK Product in 2012 and “Invictus” on Space Race Records in 2018. “Ozymandias” was released on 20 May 2022, again on Space Race Records. Smolski began the demos in 2018 and wrote most of the material during the pandemic; the title track was composed near the end of the sessions.

Guests on the album include Cesar Soto of Ministry, who recorded guitars for “Austere”, and drummer Dariusz ‘Daray’ Brzozowski, who played the parts Smolski had written in MIDI. Filip ‘Heinrich’ mixed the record and contributed bass and additional synths.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now via the Space Race Records label is the new album “Consistency” by the Italian electropop act Zero A.D..

The 14-track album includes a remastered version of “Can You Hear Me?”, the song included which was included on our very own “Face The Beat 6” free download compilation. At the moment the album is available in physical format only but in the next days it will be available on all digital streaming platforms.

The Italian duo moved away from its initial dark wave and gothic sound towards a more electropop sound for this release. The CD digipak can be ordered right here from the label itself.

Here’s the video for “Only a Dream” which is also launched now.

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.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Second Complex is a solo-project set up by Danish musician Dan Beck (also involved with Vaylon). After having released a few singles Second Complex now unleashed its debut album featuring multiple guest singers.

Content: The last two songs are instrumental edits, but all other cuts have been accomplished with guest singers. Color Theory has been featured on 3 songs. You’ll also hear Laura Noszczyk, Daniel Hall, Tomas Gustafsson (State Of The Nation), Ole Ulrich Jensen (Vaylon), Neil Francis, Frank J. Freda and one song featuring Ole Ulrich Jensen and Frank J. Freda.

Sound-wise Second Complex deals with amelancholic although danceable format of Electro-Popmusic.Sometimesmovingtoward Cinematographic-Pop –featuring some extra guitar on top, the main part of the work remains pure Electro-Pop.

+ + + : The contribution of different singers injects diversity, but still an opportunity to discover great and talented vocalists. I like the delicacy emerging of “Troubled Mind” featuring Laura Noszczyk, but also the somewhat heavier arrangements at “Every Moment Counts” featuring the charismatic voice of Daniel Hall. “Regrets” featuring Color Theory is one of the most danceable cuts. “Solid Ground” featuring Neil Francis is another attention grabber for the crystalline sound arrangements. But my favorite song is the instrumental “Shadows And Silhouettes” revealing the maturity of this artist. It’s a dreamy song, which sounds as Cinematographic-Pop.

– – – : The album is missing an absolute hit and maybe one singer instead of different vocalists.

Conclusion: Second Complex doesn’t set the world of Electro-Pop alight, but this album is an interesting and promising debut.

Best songs: “Shadows And Silhouettes”, “Solid Ground”, Troubled Mind”, “Regrets”, “Drowned”.

Rate: 7½.  

Artist: www.facebook.com/SecondComplexMusic

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords Read the news on ‘Therapy’.

About Second Complex

Second Complex is the solo project of Danish musician Dan Beck. Discogs states that Beck was born in the suburbs of Copenhagen in the early 1970s and met his longtime friend Ole Ulrich Jensen of Vaylon and Reliant in late 1984.

The project issued the singles “Solid Ground” and “Powerless” on Liquid Substance Records in 2021 before the debut album.

“Therapy” was released by Space Race Records on 19 November 2021 in digital and CD formats. Dan Beck wrote and arranged the album, Rob Early mixed it at Retrogramme Studios in Washington and Brian Hazard mastered it at Resonance Mastering in Los Angeles. Lars Ludvig Sørensen took the photos and Ole Ulrich Jensen handled cover and design.

The ten tracks are “Drowned” with Color Theory, “Troubled Mind” with Laura Noszczyk, “Every Moment Counts” with Daniel Hall, “Regrets” with Color Theory, “Asylum” with Tomas Gustafsson, “Powerless” with Color Theory, “Lost In A Dream” with Ole Ulrich Jensen, “Solid Ground” with Neil Francis, “Spirit” with Ole Ulrich Jensen and Frank J. Freda, and “A Grain Of Sand” with Neil Francis.

The single “Treatment” followed on Town And Towers Records in 2022.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out via the EK Product sublabel Space Race Records is the debut album by the synthpop act Second Complex, called “Therapy”. Behind this Danish solo-project we find Dan Beck, better known for being with with Ole Ulrich Jensen one of the two members of Vaylon. Strongly inspired by the 80’s synthpop, this debut album features a wide array of guest vocalists.

The album holds twelve tracks with guest vocals delivered by Brian Hazard (Color Theory), Laura Noszczyk, Daniel Hall, Tomas Gustafsson, Ole Ulrich Jenbsen, Neil Francis and Frank J. Freda (Halovox).

Tracklist:

1. Drowned (Feat. Color Theory) 4:49
2. Troubled Mind (Feat. Laura Noszczyk) 4:17
3. Every Moment Counts (Feat. Daniel Hall) 3:43
4. Regrets (Feat. Color Theory) 5:03
5. Asylum (Feat. Tomas Gustafsson) 3:48
6. Powerless (Feat. Color Theory) 4:13
7. Lost in a Dream (Feat. Ole Ulrich Jensen) 3:27
8. Solid Ground (Feat. Neil Francis) 3:57
9. Spirit (Feat. Ole Ulrich Jensen & Frank J. Freda) 3:46
10. A Grain of Sand (Feat. Neil Francis) 4:15
11. Shadows and Silhouettes (Instrumental) 4:15
12. Humble (Instrumental) 4:49

Here’s already a track featuring Neil Francis. Read the review of ‘Therapy’.

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, Future-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Finnish project Aeronaut V was set up in 2018. This year they released the single “Discovery” and this debut-EP –which rather looks like a mini-album, featuring six songs.

Content: The songs are clearly the perfect offspring between Electro- and Future-Pop music. One of the cuts still has a bass line reminding me of the softer side of DAF. The production reveals powerful sounds and multiple analogue-like sound effects. The vocals have something charismatic; all songs are sung in English. I don’t like comparing bands, but I think this music might appeal to lovers of Covenant.

+ + + : Aeronaut V took me by surprise; the work revealing a well-crafted song writing and professional production. This band stands for maturity and even if the sound isn’t that original it however has something personal and refreshing. The music has something retro-like and still features contemporary elements. The production of the vocals has something emotional. The work features 6 different tracks and except one, they all have a true potential.

– – – : EK Product is a label I’ve always connected with EBM and related genres. Aeronaut V sounds a bit different and definitely more into Electro/Future-Pop, which is the kind of music released by the label’s sub-division Space Race Records.

Conclusion: This debut EP by Aeronaut V is a pretty cool surprise; a great electronic production, which will appeal for lovers of Electro- and Future-Pop, but also some EBM heads. This is a name to keep in mind!

Best songs: “Too Much”, “Zero Zero”, “No Wonder”, “Into Two”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/AeronautV

Label: www.ekproduct.com / www.facebook.com/EKProduct

About Aeronaut V

Aeronaut V is a synthpop duo from Tampere, Finland, formed in 2018. Discogs credits vocals and lyrics to Arttu Korppivuori and synths and music to Ville Brusi. The project describes its material as drawn from the classics of electronic music.

The duo issued the single “Discovery” in October 2020. Finnish act Advanced Art remixed a following single, as reported in Finnish electro pioneers Advanced Art remix new Aeronaut V single in April 2021, and the band signed to the Italian label EK Product that same month, covered in Aeronaut V inks deal with Italian label EK Product.

“Late Departure” followed on 4 May 2021 as a digital release. The six tracks are “Into Two”, “Killing Time”, “Waiting”, “Too Much”, “Zero Zero” and “No Wonder”. The duo returned with “Youth” in 2024 and reissued it as an EP in 2026.

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

KLONAVENUS is an Italian duo set up in 2005 by Paolo Chemnitz (vocals, lyrics, samples) and Saffio (music, programming, mixing). During the early years of the band they self-released an impressive number of EP’s. They finally signed to EK Product and released their official debut album “Klonawelt” in 2012. The next album “Angst” got released in 2015 on Space Race Records (subdivision of EK Product). The sound of the band has been often described as a mix of EBM and Electro-Pop. And that’s what they also revealed at the last year released new album “Motion:less”. I’d a chat with Paolo and Saffio.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: KLONAVENUS is active for numerous years now. Do you notice important changes/evolutions in your sound and influences? And what have been the main facts coming directly into mind?

Paolo: Since the first days, we always have alternated a more sunny component with a more introspective one (Dark-Wave influences were prominent). Our debut album “Klonawelt” is full of funny and powerful Synth-Pop anthems. Then, starting with the second album “Angst”, our darker side prevailed. An aspect related to our growth and our awareness, perhaps we have understood that the era of light-heartedness was gone! Years ago I personally also started to read many books about existentialist philosophy (from Schopenauer to Cioran and Caraco), a mental influence that helped the evolution of the conceptual aspect of the band.

Q: You last year released your newest album “Motion:less”. 2020 has been a hard year because of the pandemic so did it have an influence and impact on your artistic activities/life and the achievement of the album?

Paolo: The new album was written before the pandemic, although its release was postponed from April 2020 to September 2020, considering that during last Spring everything was completely closed. The filming of the first video clip (cf. “My Crying Bride”) has also been postponed for several months, a situation that initially made us lose some enthusiasm. We haven’t been able to play the new songs live yet and we are very sorry about this, we hope to be able to do it as soon as possible.

Q: What kind of album is “Motion:less” all about and why did it take that long to achieve this new opus?

Paolo: After the release of the debut album “Klonawelt”, our paths divided because I stayed in Rome, while Saffio moved to Berlin. If “Angst” was composed within two years, with the third album we wanted to wait for the right moment. Living far away, is not easy to discuss ideas directly, plan/play concerts or share time in the rehearsal studio, that’s why “Motion:less” was born without any rush. We have also been really still for months, writing only one unreleased track for a compilation powered by our label and a single track released in a very limited 7” vinyl. Paradoxically, when we only did demos or EP’s ten/fifteen years ago, we played a lot in Italy and we were able to give more continuity to our project.

Q: I’ve always experienced KLONAVENUS as the perfect mix between EBM and harder Electro-Pop influences. What does it say about the sound you try to compose and do you have personal references and criteria when composing your music?

Saffio: I think our sound is not easy to label, despite being classified as EBM and Electro-Pop by the fans and critics. We certainly have a wealth of influences, first and foremost 80s New-Wave, which over the years has grown and opened up to different sounds, but always with a Dark-Electronic character that also draws on genre films, especially horrors and thrillers. The incipit of the musical composition therefore stems from the visual suggestions and soundtracks of the films we love, especially those of the 70s and 80s.

Q: What’s your way of working and what’s the input of each member in the writing/production process?

Saffio: Each KLONAVENUS song usually follows these steps: the instrumental composition that I elaborate very instinctively following my mood, but also respecting the concept of a new album defined together with Paolo, who takes care of writing the vocal melodies and the lyrics. At the same time he chooses some samples, inspired by some movies he likes (we can say there’s a touch of Industrial music in KLONAVENUS).

Q: You guys have already released several clips. What do you like in making clips and what do you try to express? What’s the link between the lyrical content of the songs and the clips?

Saffio: As explained above, cinema is probably the main influence on our music. We wouldn’t know how to create our songs without the suggestion of watching films we love. Consequently, our clips best represent the union of the two arts: cinema and music.

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

2021 will start well as we’ll get the new album by the Italian solo-act TourdeForce aka Christian Ryder on January 15, 2021 via Space Race Records. “Vargtimmar” is swedish for “The hours of the wolf”. The album will hold 13 new songs mixing synthpop, EBM and some neoclassical interludes with industrial – electro rock.

Here’s already TourdeForce’s new music video “Nowhere Street”.

And here is a first trailer for TourdeForce brand-new album “Vargtimmar”.

About TourdeForce

TourdeForce was formed in Bergamo (Northern Italy) in 2004 and self-released 2 EPs before they recorded their debut album “Omnes Feriunt, Ultima Necat” which was released in 2007. “Colours In Life”, their first label release followed 3 years later on ‎Breakdown Records after which the band took 4 years to release “Leaving Colours” on My Owl Music.

4 more albums followed: “Jedem Das Seine” on Space Race Records in 2014, “Antologia Elettronica” on Rupe Tarpea Produzioni, My Owl Music in 2016, “Very Industrial People” on Space Race Records in 2018 and “Still Industrial People” on Space Race Records in 2019. Read the review of ‘Vargtimmar’.

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: EBM, Body-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Paolo Chemnitz (vocals, lyrics, samples) and Saffio (music, programming, mixing) have been active under the Klonavenus moniker since 2005. They mainly self-released an impressive number of EP’s. A first official album was released in 2012 on EK Product. They next released “Angst” on Space Race Records (subdivision of EK Product) and now unleashes “Motion:less” featuring eleven songs.

Content: Klonavenus has always composed music at the edge of EBM and Electro/Wave-Pop. It’s not that different with the new compositions, which are driven by hopping sequences and rhythms. The songs are accomplished by solid melody lines illustrating the ‘Pop’-side of the band. Some of the hardest cuts remind me a bit of early Icon Of Coil, but here again polished with some extra Electro-Pop melodies. Both last tracks are remixes by A Copy For Collapse and Templebeat.

+ + + : “Motion:less” is a cool work, which is mainly carried by excellent melodies. What I especially like is the perfect balance between EBM power and Pop melodies. The work is danceable, sometimes moving towards darker fields, but always accessible. Both debut songs are noticeable passages, but I also have to mention “Emotionless” reminding me of the early steps of Icon Of Coil. Another great song is “My Crying Bride” featuring female vocals by Valerie Hely. She injects a sensual touch on top of Paolo Chemnitz’ singing. There also is a cool instrumental song (cf. “Neon Blue”). Last, but not least there’s this surprising remix of the title song by Templebeat.

– – – : I think the production of the vocals could be improved; the way of singing becomes rather monotone after a while. I can’t say this album is featuring potential hits, but we get several noticeable songs instead.

Conclusion: “Motion:less” is not the kind of album that will set the EBM and Electro-Pop scene(s) alight, but it’s an honest work, which I enjoyed listening to.

Best songs: “My Crying Bride”, “Emotionless”, “Neon Blue”, “Dies Irae”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Klonavenus

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords Read the news on ‘Motion:less’.

About Klonavenus

Klonavenus was formed in Rome in 2005 by Saffio (music and programming) and Paolo Chemnitz (vocals and lyrics). After two demos, the duo signed to The Fossil Dungeon label and released “Metropolights” in 2007, followed a year later by a compilation of previously unreleased tracks. In 2010 the band released the single “The Loser”, with remixes by Dismantled, Autodafeh and Ginger Snap5.

In the winter of 2013, Klonavenus released the video for “Electro Body Killer”, directed by Italian filmmaker Domiziano Cristopharo. The band’s second album, “Angst”, followed in 2015, recorded in Berlin and mastered in the US by Rob Early (Retrogramme), with remixes by Spektralized, Cygnosic and Blank. After a break, Klonavenus released the free EP “Last Life On The Left”, then appeared on the 2018 compilation “Complicity Content” on the E|K label with the new song “Welcome To Violence” featuring Elisa Tomaselli, alongside the 7” vinyl “We Fly Away”. The duo now returns with the third album, “Motion:less”, on Space Race Records.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out via Space Race Records on September 25th is the return of the Klonavenus to the scene with the album “motion:less”. The project consists of Paolo Chemnitz and Saffio and the duo here present their 3rd album.

Expect 11 songs offering a combination of EBM, darkwave, synthpop and industrial. Also included are remixes by A Copy For Collapse and legendary Italian Electro/EBM-combo Templebeat.

From Italy with dark wave love

Klonavenus was formed in Rome in 2005 by Saffio (music & programming) and Paolo Chemnitz (vocals & lyrics). After two demos, the duo signed a contract with The Fossil Dungeon label and released “Metropolights” in 2007. One year later the band released a compilation of previously unreleased tracks. In 2010 they returned with the single, “The Loser” while held remixes by Dismantled, Autodafeh and Ginger Snap5.

In the Winter of 2013, Klonavenus released the official video for “Electro Body Killer”, directed by the Italian independent filmaker Domiziano Cristopharo. We had to wait until 2015 to see the band’s second album “Angst” being released, recorded in Berlin and mastered in the US by Rob Early (Retrogramme). The album also includes remixes by Spektralized, Cygnosic and Blank.

After two years of silence, Klonavenus released a new EP as a free download (“Last Life On The Left”), then appeared at the end of 2018 in a double compilation (“Complicity Content”) released by the label E|K , with a new song called “Welcome To Violence” featuring the voice of Elisa Tomaselli. At the same time, KV released “We Fly Away”, a 7″ vinyl. Read the review of ‘Motion:less’.

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, body-pop.

Background/Info: “Friedensfahrt” is the third official album for the German duo Robert Grolms – Niko Kötzsch. I noticed they release a new work every two years, delivering on this opus fourteen new cuts.

Content:  Gimme Shelter moves on where their previous work (cf. “Kosmodrom”) had left off; a strong electro-pop basis empowered by a few EBM elements, which are mainly emerging from the bass lines. The new work is however maybe a little more varied. There’s the somewhat groovy-like title song (also featured as video), the sexy-danceable “Bombing Force”s” and a few noticeable, instrumental intermezzos. The songs are sung in German and English.

 + + + : The main noticeable aspect of the work is the impressive sound production. Gimme Shelter has seriously improved some little details from their global production resulting in a professional work. Next to the technological aspect of the recording, mixing and mastering there also is the song writing properly speaking. And here again the band has made an impressive step forward. Next to a great title song, I noticed the brilliant “Nacht & Nebel” (featuring lyrics about extermination camps during the Nazi regime) and the harder and faster “We Are All The Same” and “Jedesmal”. The work reveals a succession of great songs, but I also have to say a word about the alluring vocals and a lyrical content, which makes sense.

– – – : I don’t have major minus points about this work, which is an absolute must have!

Conclusion: Gimme Shelter remains a kind of hidden secret from the electro-pop scene, but all those who know the band and this new opus will have to admit this is a talented formation!

Best songs: “Nacht & Nebel”, “Friedensfahrt”, “”Etappe XIII”, “Repeating History”, “We Are All The Same”, “Jedesmal”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.gimme–shelter–music.de / www.facebook.com/gimmesheltermusik

Label: www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords Read the news on ‘Friedensfahrt’.

About Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter is the German electro-pop/EBM duo of Robert Grolms and Niko Kötzsch. Grolms founded the project in 2008, citing Depeche Mode as an early influence; Kötzsch, whose own formative listening ran through Cat Rapes Dog, Frontline Assembly, Front 242 and And One, joined later on live synths after a decade spent DJ-ing in German clubs. The duo signed to Space Race Records and released two albums, including “Kosmodrom”, before “Friedensfahrt” (2019), their third official album. A Side-Line Click Interview with the duo looked back at “Kosmodrom” shortly before “Friedensfahrt” was announced.

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

Gimme Shelter is a German synthpop/electropop act founded by the duo-act Robert Grolms and Niko Kötzsch. “Friedensfahrt” is the band’s 3rd album offering fourteen tracks and a video for the title track has now been released. Musically the band has a very Melotron / Mondträume sounding approach, so it will surely appeal to the fans of the better electropop sound!

You can watch the video below. The album “Friedensfahrt” will be released on September 27 2019 on EKP/Space Race Records and was produced by Rob Early. Read the review of ‘Friedensfahrt’.

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, body-pop.

Background/Info: Reliant is the solo-project of Ole Ulrich Jensen who you might know from his involvement with Vaylon. This album is the debut work of the Danish artist. It has been mixed and mastered by Rob Early (Retrogramme).

Content: “Songs From The Heart Of Solitude” takes off a rather delicate and sensual way, clearly reflecting electro-pop influences. The album is filled with melancholic passages, but still harder EBM-inspired cuts. The album doesn’t sound like a stereotypical electro-pop release, but brings a refreshing touch to the genre. The songs are worked-out, sometimes reminding me of Neuroactive.

+ + + : This work is not a new electro-pop stereotype, but mixes the best of electro-pop together with some harder EBM-driven bass lines. Some of the songs are pretty sensual-like while others reflect a darker and melancholic taste. The sensuality is mainly emerging from the vocals’ production. The songwriting reveals maturity and diversity.

– – – : I don’t have any doubts about the mixing and mastering skills of Rob Early, but I get the feeling some of the opening songs could have been more efficient. The sound is rather unpolished although it might be intentional. I also noticed a song with a fade-out, which I never have considered a great trick. 

Conclusion: Reliant has accomplished a noticeable debut album. There are several pretty cool songs featured at the album and even a few potential hits.

Best songs: “My Entangled Soul”, “Self-Preservation”, “Shield Of Shame”, “In The Morning”, “High Hopes And Disappointments”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/ReliantBand /  www.facebook.com/ole.u.jensen

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords

About Reliant

Reliant is the solo project of Danish musician Ole Ulrich Jensen, known as the frontman of the electro/synthpop act Vaylon. Side-Line first reported on the Reliant project in February 2019, ahead of the release of “Songs From The Heart Of Solitude”, his debut album under the name, issued on Space Race Records and mixed and mastered by Rob Early of Retrogramme.

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, body-pop.

Background/Info: Italian Halo Effect has already been active since 2001 and this release, “Shout” is their fifth opus. It also is the second one released on Space Race Records. This new work features 11 songs, which have been produced by Rob Early (Retrogramme).

Content: “Shout” is a danceable electro-pop album, which moves in between a rather ‘classical’ format and harder body-pop songs. The EBM touch mainly emerges from the solid bass lines. The album also has a little vintage flavor.

+ + + : “Shout’ is mainly characterized by a mature production process revealing a band that has seriously improved most elements of the composition. It becomes a styled work featuring multiple cool songs. I also enjoyed the diversity, mixing harder- and classical electro-pop. Last, but not least the vocals are perfectly matching with the music. I here again have a little preference for the harder songs.

– – – : The only single element this album is maybe missing is a potential hit; ‘the’ song that would be chosen as title track for a single and/or EP.

Conclusion: “Shout” is according to me the best album ever released by Halo Effect. This is an accomplished and exciting production, which will mainly appeal for darker electro-pop lovers.

Best songs: “Bleed”, “In Love And Death”, “Melt My Brain”, “So Hard To Sleep Tonight”, “The Innocence”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/haloeffectband

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords

About Halo Effect

Halo Effect is an Italian synthpop and EBM band formed in autumn 2001, with a lineup including Alessandro Polinori, John Andrew Peverieri, and Marco Cattani. The band’s catalogue includes “Past Continuous” (2003), “Days Of Silence” (2005), “New Romantic Industry” (2008), “Life Goes On” (2010), “Recoding” (2012), and “Life Is Perfect” (2015).

In 2018 the band moved to Space Race Records for the album “A Mode To Cure,” followed the same year by “Shout,” reviewed here, the band’s fifth studio album and second for the label. “Shout” was produced, mixed, and mastered by Rob Early of Retrogramme and was followed by a series of remix EPs in 2019.

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 Italian musician Christian Ryder from TourdeForce and the Swedish artist Johan Hansson, protagonist of the projects We The North and Unitary, have joined up for a new project. “Split” is the title of a first EP from We The North / TourdeForce. The project mixes classic electro-synthpop with electro-wave on the 7 tracks you can find on this EP.

Here’s the video for the track “The Last Song”. The EP itself will be out via Space Race Records later in December.

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.

Background/Info: Italian artist Michael Ryder is already active under the TourdeForce moniker since 2004. A few albums saw the daylight, but “Very Industrial People” is the first new full length album in four years.

Content: The sound and influences running through this album can be considered as ‘classical’ electro-pop elements with some extra electro-wave ideas on top. It’s a somewhat sweet band easy listening with retro (80s) influences, but still revealing a few club-driven songs. Several guest (backing) singers have been asked to achieve several songs. The album is diversified and still features a few little surprises like the chorus of “Fight For Your Right”, which clearly is a wink to the legendary hit of the Beastie Boys.

+ + + : Speaking for myself I became more under the influence of the ‘harder’ cuts. They’re just more club-orientated and I especially want to mention “Innocence Of The Beast” as absolute highlight. It’s a danceable and melodic song. Another attention grabber is “Panic”, which is quite danceable as well, but still featuring a cool electro-wave touch plus excellent female vocals by Jenna Christensen. “Office Punk” is another noticeable track for its EBM elements. Another track I want to mention is “Dresden” for the great and poignant lyrics. TourdeForce is not what I would call a band with a message, but the lyrics have a real deeper signification. “Very Industrial People” is an album that will please to synth-lovers. I also have to say a word about the great and epic-like artwork of the front cover.

– – – : This album features 16 songs, which is an element I highly appreciate. There are a few cool songs although I’m missing more highlights.

Conclusion: “Very Industrial People” is a globally sweet and entertaining electro-pop work, but which is maybe missing that little extra to speak about a fully successful work. I think this band can do better.

Best songs: “Panic”, “Office Punk”, “Once We Were Kids”, “Innocence Of The Beast”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/tourdeforce1

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords

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

German duo Robert Grolms – Niko Kötzsch are active under the Gimme Shelter moniker for a couple of years now. They signed to Space Race Records and have released 2 albums so far. The band doesn’t label their sound as any particular genre, but their audience will be mainly find among the lovers of electro-pop and EBM. A few months ago now they released the album “Kosmodrom” revealing great writing skills and a mature production process. This interview is a look back at this work.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Do you remember how you get contaminated by the electronic music virus and how did you come to set up Gimme Shelter?

Robert: Well, in 1990 I was ten years old and I became a great fan of Depeche Mode. Their music influenced me very much and I founded my first band at the age of twelve to emulate them. Afterwards, I was active in several bands and founded Gimme Shelter in 2008. A short time later, Niko joined in and since then we have released two albums and played some concerts. But not only electronic music has shaped me. For this reason, there is no electronic virus for me, but we make the music because we want to clean up our inner life. The fact that the music is very electronic is due to the fact that we are not so well trained on classical instruments.

Niko: I remember the first CD I bought was “Moosehair Underwair“ from Cat Rapes Dog. I next discovered artists like FrontLine Assembly, Front 242, And One and many many more (yes of course a little bit Depeche Mode but I wasn’t a huge fan ). I was 17 years old when I started going out in German Clubs to become a DJ. Ten years later I stopped DJ-ing. I experimented with some synthesizers and music programs. Robert came to me and asked me if I could help him to play live synths for the first Gimme Shelter live gig. I said to first have a listen at his stuff, but the problem was it sounded like a demo tape. I finally composed a demo for him and he liked it. That was the beginning of Gimme Shelter.

Q: For numerous people Gimme Shelter will for sure evoke one of the most famous Rolling Stones songs in history… or the cover version by The Sisters Of Mercy. What inspired you to choose for this band name and what can you say about potential sources of inspiration?

Robert: Well, the band name fits to the content of our music. I do not know what is so funny about being named after a title of the Rolling Stones. Their music is still very good and has shaped the music world enormously. We are included. We of course are also inspired by the life we live and the experiences we get. Love, relationships, desire, loss. All this flows into the music of Gimme Shelter. Musically, we are both very open-minded. We are inspired by a lot of things, but we do not jeopardize anybody, but create our own sound -regardless of whether we are successful or not.

Q: I experience your music as a mix between electro-pop elements and harder EBM influences. What do both genres evoke to you and how would you analyze your own sound?

Robert: This is hard to say. There probably is no other band that sounds like us. This is simply because we do not want to sound like other bands. We consciously allow all possible influences, from Depeche Mode to Johnny Cash. In general, a musician sees his own music quite differently than the listener conceives. We find -like every other band, that we naturally fit into no drawer. On the contrary, we think that we sound extremely independent and can only make comparisons with individual songs. The aforementioned influences play naturally also in it.

Furthermore, we have certainly also shaped Front 242, And One, Nitzer Ebb and above Kraftwerk. But that is only unconscious in us and we do not sit down and want to create a certain music style. We just do our thing. And what is going on here can be described as a whole. But generally, these whole subgenres do not matter.

Niko: I´ve many influences. I like artists like Royskopp or Deadmau5, but I like the sound of the 80s, too. I do not care how a song sounds. If I think that the sound fits the song then we go on working on it until we are both satisfied.

Q: You this year released your second full length album “Kosmodrom”. What is the album all about and what kind of work (sound-wise) did you try to accomplish?

Robert: Basically the answer is quite simple. The album is of course love. It is about, which forms of love exist and how they can develop. The title “Kosmodrom” is a good metaphor for this. It stands for the beginning of something great, just like at the beginning of a love. After the start, everything can develop well or badly. But the hope for something beautiful drives human beings. We also found that the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who was the first human being to cross space, deserved to get an appreciation from us. In the Western world, his name often falls into oblivion; but he showed courage and opened a new door to humanity. But we also use his figure as a metaphor for the album “Kosmodrom”. It is only at first sight around the space on our current album. But the concrete content must be accessible to every listener himself. One’s own fantasy when listening to music is the great thing that music can do.

Niko: “Kosmodrom” is a bridge between the analog and digital world. We’ve worked a lot with analog synthesizers such as KORG MS20, NORD Modular, Yamaha Cs1x and many other synths. Each synth has its own flair and I like them all. Each song takes a lot of time to achieve. Robert writes  most of the melodies while. I’m more into the rhythm thing. When Robert comes up with a ballad I make a dance pop song out of it because I think it fits. You also have to try something different and not always repeatinbg yourself. That’s why we’re not letting anyone talk about how we should make our sound. I learned most of what I did from my friend Daniel Myer. He showed me programs and VST’s how they work. I thank him again and again that I can do what he showed me. That is why we decided to master the album by Daniel. He knows exactly what he’s doing and is worth every penny. I can only say to every musician to give away the mastering work. Do not be concerned with so many trifles. I had to learn that too. Therefore “Warnemünde” has lasted nearly 5 years (hahaha).

Q: Do you see main changes or an important evolution in the writing process and production from your debut album “Warnemünde” towards “Kosmodrom”?

Robert: Of course. “Warnemünde” has emerged in a much longer period of time. This is why the album is less self-contained -unlike “Kosmodrom”. But many bands like that. You need a few albums to find yourself as a band. Therefore, we would like to thank our fans, who have followed us through the early days and gave us the chance to further develop our music and bring it to a higher level. Of course, the process is not over yet. But “Kosmodrom” was already a real development in comparison to “Warnemünde”. The writing process has not really changed because we have a good view upon the tasks of each other. I usually write the songs and lyrics and Niko gives these songs a better and final touch. We keep on working until it sounds good for both of us. This can sometimes take a long time and a song can go through several versions until the final product is finished. But that is precisely the exciting thing about making music. It is very democratic, so it can be frustrating if your own idea is not implemented, because the other is not at all satisfied. But that’s exactly what a band does. In the end there is a work that took blood, sweat and tears.

Q: What means music generally speaking and Gimme Shelter more specifically to you and are there some plans/dreams you actually want to accomplish?

Robert: Music is a big part of our lives. We are fortunate that we have found a way to put our soul into music expression. This is a good valve. We also have a lot of fun and love to give concerts and get in touch with our fans. Gimme Shelter helps us giving our feelings a bit of air, and we can preserve beautiful and few situations with songs. At the moment, we are back in the studio and are working on new ideas and songs, because we are still not finished with Gimme Shelter, but we still have a lot to say and want to develop further. We hope that this year we can release some new songs on an EP and maybe release another album next year. But this also takes a lot of time and we are just at the beginning of another album. There are also new concerts planned. Next year Hannover and Hamburg will be on the agenda.

Niko: At my side I would like people understand what we want to express with our music. It always depends from the emotional state you’re going through when you’re listening to our music. And every time one understands and feels the songs different. Of course the goal is to reach more and more people with it. But I prefer 100 real fans than 2000 ‘likes’ at Facebook. We are available for everyone and are available for all questions to Gimme Shelter.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

Background/Info: Kenneth Larsen was born in Denmark, but based in Malmö (Sweden). Active as Dead Man Recovering you might have discovered this artist by the digital EP “Pleasure” released last year on Conzoom Records. The debut full length album has been released on Space Race Records and features 12 songs.

Content: “Panic In Slow Motion” is a sweet sounding electro-pop work, which might remind now and then of Depeche Mode. Some songs made me think to a kind of pop-ballad style, which is maybe accentuated by the guitar playing. The songs are pretty similar with “Time” as single track revealing a bit more power (through the kick) and passion (in the vocals).

+ + + : Dead Man Recovering is a project that might please electro-pop lovers, which are more into ‘easy listening’ music. There’s a kind of sensibility supporting the songs, which sometimes remind me a bit of Depeche Mode.

– – – : I have to admit this is the first release from the Space Race Records roster, which can’t convince me. The songs are quite similar and rapidly stagnating into monotony. I’m also missing some real passion in the vocal parts while there’s no real climax in the music as well.

Conclusion: “Panic In Slow Motion” is not what I would call a successful debut for Dead Man Recovering. I’m missing some elaboration in the writing and passion in the vocals!

Best songs: “Time”.

Rate: (5).

Band: www.facebook.com/deadmanrecovering

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords

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, body-pop.

Background/Info: Two years after their successful debut album “Warnemünde” the German Gimme Shelter strikes back with a new opus.

Content: This band remains driven by the creative force of electro-pop music with some extra, powerful EBM elements on top. The solid bass lines have been joined by danceable kicks and a melodic leads. Some passages are somewhat elevating. Some of the vocals are sung in English and some in their mother tongue.

Globally speaking I would say that the EBM influences were more noticeable on their previous work.

+ + + : Gimme Shelter confirms the potential they revealed on the debut album. This band is not into innovation, but doesn’t sound like a copyist. They’ve created their own body-pop sound, which is based upon a well-crafted production. There are several cool cuts running through this work and maybe one potential hit entitled “Keep Your Secret”. I also recommend the instrumental “Gagarin I” featuring cool spoken samplings instead of vocals.

– – – : The body-pop style definitely is their strongest component while a few cuts, which are more into ‘traditional’ electro-pop left me a bit skeptical.

Conclusion: Gimme Shelter is maybe not the ‘big’ name among the electro-pop bands, but they again confirm to have a real talent to compose well-crafted and efficient songs. I think they’re one of the best bands from the Space Race Records roster.

Best songs: “Keep Your Secret”, “Gagarin I”, “Get Out Of My Life”, “In Perfektion”, “Kosmodrom”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.gimme–shelter–music.de / www.facebook.com/gimmesheltermusik

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords

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

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Dayblind’.

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 45th track on our free download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 4” (featuring 92 tracks) is by the Swedish synthpop act Mechatronic.

Mechatronic is a synthpop duo from Uppsala, Sweden, consisting of Wilhelm Äretun (programming and vocals) and Emma Hortlund (keyboard and lyrics). The duo mixes hard beats with catchy melodies. So far the band has released two albums on the Italian record label Space Race Records, “Dreams” and “Dystopia”. Both albums are available on Spotify. Right now the band is working on new songs for an upcoming album.

You an find out more on the band on their official website and on Facebook.

Listen to “Lifelike Dreams V2” below and download it right here.

Check our “Face The Beat: Session 4” page on Bandcamp to discover the other 91 bands. All donations will go to charity.

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

Read the review of ‘Dayblind’.

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, body-pop.

Background/Info: Space Race Records again seems to have found a new promising band active in the wider electro-pop fields. Hailing from Scandinavia and set up as a solo-project by Johan Hansson, the artist describes his music as ‘Nordic Noir’. “Endemic” is the first official release featuring 4 songs and 4 remixes.

Content: The sound clearly mixes electro-pop elements and a few harder body-inspired influences. The music is well-crafted and doesn’t sound at all as a first recording. You’ll notice deep, alluring bass lines and some melodic loops while Hansson vocals are clear and powerful. A few melancholic atmospheres can be heard as well.

Among the 4 remixes I especially noticed great contributions from ES23 and especially Mika Rossi (Autodafeh).

+ + + : “Endemic” is a successful debut revealing 2 great songs (cf. “Lost Inside” and “Understand Me”), which are quite elaborated and masterly produced. There’s a perfect match between the music and the vocals. The remix of “Lost Inside” by Mika Rossi is a great piece of minimal electro-pop.

– – – : I can’t say to have heard a real potential hit and that’s a pity. We The North clearly reveals a solid potential carried by a mature production, but I’m missing an extra catchy touch.

Conclusion: “Endemic” features several enjoyable songs and cool remixes as well. I’m looking forward to the debut full length to get a better idea about the real potential of the band.

Best songs: “Lost Inside”, “Understand Me”, “Understand Me – Mika Rossi Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/wethenorthofficial

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords

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: IDM, minimal-electro.

Background/Info: Dio<X>ide is a brand-new Italian project set up by 2 veterans of the scene. This is the meeting between Andrew Lagowski and Andrea Belluci. Lagowski got involved in numerous projects and collaboration works while Andrea Bellucci got some fame and recognition with Red Sector A. Both artists joined hands to accomplish their first album under the Dio<X>ide moniker.

Content: We are used to Space Race Records familiarizing us with electro-pop and body-pop driven releases, but this one is totally different and surprising. Both artists are known for their passion to decompose and recompose sounds and noises, but they also have this intelligence to compose sophisticated and deeply artistic creations.

“Specular Mirrors” reflects this fine taste for refined writing and the taste for genius sound treatments. The work is filled with fine bleeps, deep blasts, raw sound sequences, dubstep ingredients and slow rhythms. It all together creates a pure sound chemistry, which will appeal for lovers of visionary electronic music.

+ + + : This album is mainly characterized by great sound creations and a perfect balance between the different sources of inspiration. “Specular Mirrors” is the kind of album you have to listen several times and each time again you’ll notice new details. The instrumental format of the work doesn’t really suffer from the total absence of vocals.

– – – : This is a production you may want to avoid if you’re a die-hard freak of a specific electronic genre like EBM, dark-electro, industrial etc. I can imagine fans of Space Race Records and EK Product will be surprised to discover this kind of sound.

Conclusion: Respect to Space Race Records, which enlarges their music horizon by signing a band like Dio<X>ide. This is a great and intelligent piece of avant-garde electronic music, which confirms the statement that wisdom comes with the age.

Best songs: “Biogenesi”, “Segments Of Life”, “No Hidden Places”, “Karmakon”, “Crystal Device”.

Rate: (8½).

Band: www.lagowski.com / www.facebook.com/wirescience / www.facebook.com/redsectorSub

Label: www.spaceracerecords.com / www.facebook.com/SpaceRaceRecords

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, body-pop.

Content: Nine Seconds are back on track with this elf-released EP featuring 10 songs. Both albums of the band have been released by the Italian label Space Race Records while this is their 2nd self-released EP.

The title song originally appeared at their last album “Nothing To Confess” (2014). I expected the usual endless list of remixes, but this EP is different. Except for two remixes of “Antistar Machinery” we get 6 mixes/remixes from six different songs plus a previously unreleased track and a cover version. The original versions of all the mixes/remixes originally appeared on their previous releases. So this is an interesting way to get back to both albums “Poladroids” and “Nothing To Confess”, and also to their debut EP-vinyl “Irresolution”.

I was a little less inspired by the solid EBM orientation for most remixes. It for sure is one of the band’s influences although their work usually sounds more into electro-pop and body-pop. It for sure is a way to conquer dancefloors and that’s precisely what the “Club Mix” of the title song seems to claim. It’s a real smasher driven by a great bass line and a carrying chorus. I once more prefer the vocals of Oliver Spring singing on Nine Seconds instead of his previous band (cf. Sleepwalk).

A few bands were asked to create a remix and Cryo did a sensational job remixing “Waiting For The Last Kiss” into a pure club smasher. The “Club Mix” of “Attractive Lies” is another song I have to tip. The original song was seriously reworked into a divine icy and smashing approach.

Sleepwalk was asked to remix “Girl Panic” and here again the result is absolutely superb. It sounds hard while featuring impressive sound manipulations. MRDTC and Framework were asked as well to make a remix. MRDTC adapted the title song into a different –but still pure EBM style.

Over now to the excellent remix of Invisible Limits “Shadows”. It again sounds pretty EBM and driven by real cool sound manipulations. Last, but not least the new song “Not Guilty By Reason” is filled with modernism and some complexity. It remains pretty body-inspired but constructed by irresistible scratching sweeps and other cool effects.

Conclusion: This EP reveals a harder approach in the work of Nine Seconds, which will appeal to EBM-lovers. Speaking for myself it definitely is their best release to date, which will maybe serve as basis for the work to come.

Best songs: “Waiting For The Last Kiss – Cryo Short Mix”, “Attractive Lies – Club Mix”, “Antistar Machinery – Club Mix”, “Girl Panic – Sleepwalk Remix”, “Shadows”.

Rate: (DP:8½)DP.

Band: www.nineseconds.de / www.facebook.com/nineseconds

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