Yishai Sweartz of Tomorrow’s Rain and Berlin-based singer/composer Mona Mur are releasing a new album on June 20 via Soleilmoon Recordings. Titled “Clouds Of War,” the album is inspired by the life of Sweartz’s grandfather, Moshe Szniecki, a WWII Partisan. The music includes spoken word and experimental arrangements.

Yishai explains in the press release that “Clouds Of War” emerged from the compelling stories in his grandfather’s diary. During WWII, Moshe left his hometown at 17 after his family was murdered. He survived by joining a Partisan group in the Belarusian forests. He later settled in Israel, living peacefully until his death at 94. Yishai explains further: “During World War II, 17-year-old Moshe Szniecki left his hometown when all other members of his family were murdered by Nazi hordes. In the depths of the Belarusian forests, Moshe joined a Partisan group and fought boldly. Guided by what he called ‘The Codes of the Woods,’ Moshe survived.” He made it to Israel, married, and had a family with his wife Hanna and two daughters. He died peacefully at 94, at ease with himself. He survived.”

“To me, music is a sacred art form. You can transmit and connect on a level of empathy. Violence, cruelty, greed, ego, hate, contempt, hostility dissolve for a fleeting moment that still might change things profoundly,” explains Mona Mur reflecting on the conceptual side of the collaboration that lead to the release of “Clouds of War”. “What is the right look at the atrocities of war, holocaust, genocide ? Moshe Shnitzki, 17 years old, had to transform in a split second, in order to survive, from a pious teenage boy into a warrior. Fight back or die, head into the deep dark forest, leave a civilization that failed to rise up to its proper meaning. And survive. How does that feel, how does that sound ? This is what “Clouds of War” is about.”

The collaboration between the two musicians began in summer 2021 when diary excerpts, translated into English, were recorded by Yishai Sweartz and sent to Mona Mur. In her studio KATANA, Mona Mur used these as the basis for the album, adding layers of voices, guitar, and electronic sounds.

As the project evolved, Anja Huwe of X-mal Deutschland contributed her voice. The album is also already featured in Elfi Mikesch’s documentary “War or Peace”. You can pre-order their album below on Bandcamp and check out the first 2 songs already.

About Yishai Sweartz and Mona Mur

Yishai Sweartz is a musician, performer and music promoter from Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the vocalist of the bands Tomorrow’s Rain and Nail Within and the avant-garde dark ambient project Thy Mesmerized. A frequent collaborator of a large number of artists including Mille Petrozza (Kreator), Attila Csihar(Mayhem), Fernando Ribeiro (Moonspell), Gregor Mackintosh (Paradise Lost), Michael Denner (Mercyful Fate / King Diamond) and many others. Yishai has promoted hundreds of Rock and Metal shows in Israel for more than 25 years.

Mona Mur from her side is a singer, musician, composer and producer, famous for her collaborations and live shows with the likes of FM Einheit (Einstürzende Neubauten), En Esch (KMFDM), Grzegorz Ciechowski (Republika) or JJ Burnel (The Stranglers). She also created film music (“Last Exit: Space”) and video game soundtracks (“Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days”).

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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“Digital Outcast” is the third album by German formation Darkness On Demand which is available now on Bandcamp and on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore. After having released two albums on Repo Records ‘Falgalas’ and Gary Wagner signed to Alfa Matrix where they released the “Final Way” EP, the “Hang On (Winterhart remix)” and the “White Clouds” EP. The former Dance Or Die-members now strike back with “Digital Outcast”, a powerful, sophisticated and engaged EBM work. I talked about the album and other things with front man Gary Wagner.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: After a successful career as Dance Or Die you guys are now busy for a couple of years under the moniker Darkness On Demand. Do you perceive significant changes and/or evolutions between both bands or is just a natural evolution? And do you sometimes miss Dance Or Die?

Gary: We actually don’t miss anything of our former career with Dance Or Die. Falgalas and me played together since 1993 and the old producer and composer, who did not go on stage, had not enough material for new songs anymore… that’s why we decided to continue our story under the new flag Darkness On Demand.

The idea was to leave Dance Or Die as a Cult to start with the new material Falgalas had composed. The new songs are more Industrial and EBM and got much more melodies than before. The development of the new tracks started with our first longplayer “Post Stoneage Technology” continues the near future items. Just like the second one “Detoxination” which is concerned with man-machine themes we march on in that genre to keep Science Fiction alive. The astonishing thing was that the old fans expected the new start straight away. We still are the guys they know from stage and the short logo DOD is still up to date.

Q: I was surprised you signed to a Belgian label –Alfa Matrix. Why this move from a German label to a Belgian one and are there also plans for your side-projects?

Gary: Well the main reason for signing abroad was that Belgium is the Walhalla of Electronic Body Music. We are definitely inspired by Front 242, Klinik and A Split Second which come from Belgium. We planned to get the thing more international.

The former label was more concerned with Germany which was pretty all right for the start. But the fact that we were popular in countries such as Sweden, Mexico, USA and the European East pushed us forward to be promoted worldwide. There were music colleges who recommended Alfa Matrix to start that enterprise. We are very happy about that and we know that the label believes in our work.

By the way we still work on our other project Winterhart which is Martial, Industrial and Dark-Folk orientated.

Q: Over now to “Digital Outcast” which is the third full length by Darkness On Demand. The lyrical themes are –once more, very engaged and introduced as an ‘ invitation to reconnect with nature and reality, to escape from that digital world dominated by artificial social medias and credit card consumption’ is really interesting to me. I can imagine it’s a very personal reflection but can you give us more details? And how do you see it regarding the digital world and social media which is that important today for labels, bands  etc…?

Gary: “Digital Outcast” is the digital answer to the digitalized world. We fight fire with fire, like we use Electronix for creating our answer to Goth-Rock. Real life turns into a cyberworld which is mankind created and has nothing to do with the real world outside.

In Kraftwerk’s “Computerwelt” you heard the warning of observation and a transparent mankind. The more data they get the more you are controlled by them. The problem in Germany is that they consider you as a conspiracy freak when you know and talk about this. You can have an attitude but the mass medias tell you what your attitude has to be. Quite complicated for bands that came from Punk-Rock .

This moment I feel much more free to communicate with you in Belgium than in Germany.

Q: How do you look back to the writing and production of “Digital Outcast”? Do you’ve any experiences and/or anecdotes you encountered that come directly into mind?

Gary: During the lockdown we found ourselves in ghost towns. Everything was closed, life stood still people were ill and lots of people died. It was a terrible time, we hope it won’t repeat. But in somehow it changed the attitude towards the government. Some were absolutely into the rules of authority, the others questioned it like they did before. Feelings such as loneliness and depressions came to our mind and that influenced our album conception.

One day during that period they closed Schleswig Holstein after we finished our singing recording and I had to leave this Bundesland for a return to Berlin. What a strange situation…

The EP “White Clouds” exactly describes this time I mentioned before.

Q: “White Clouds” sounds as a solid addendum to “Digital Outcast”. Is there anything more you want to say about the EP?

Gary:The EP “White Clouds” exactly describes this time I mentioned before. In some of these happy pills you find a little picture of grey clouds turning to white to take the medicine regularly. Sometimes pretty necessary to avoid a serious illness. Anyway… we still stand for the idea to make great Clubmixes on our EP’s. The dancefloor is still an important fact to communicate with the fans, besides the live activities.

Q: Gary and Heiko, I think you’re now working together for thirty years –or even more. What makes the chemistry between both of you and how do you perceive each other as ‘artist’ and the person behind the artistic creation?

Gary:As I already mentioned we both played the Dance Or Die shows since 1993. After a long break in the early 20th we decided to make new music together. Falgalas created lots of material with Classic sounds and instruments. We added real acoustic guitars and trumpets to form Winterhart. We released our albums on Danse Macabre Records. But then, once upon a time we were a little frustrated that Dance Or Die stood still. Therefore we found Darkness On Demand to return to Body and Industrial music.

Those days Falgalas lived in the middle of Berlin and we worked together at new songs every afternoon. Then he moved to Tönning near the North-Sea und built-up a New Studio he calls Dreiklangstudio. So I got to travel to the North  for singing recordings. Less helter skelter than in Berlin. Silence enough for our future stories to keep the Dark Side alive. We turn Future into Reality

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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Genre/Influences: EBM, Wave-Pop, New-Beat.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: James Edward and Frank Shark joined hands together  with Avant! Records to unleash the third full length of their project Male Tears.

Content: This band clearly finds its inspiration in the glorious days of EBM and New-Beat. The tracks are very danceable but also carry cool, retro-like, melody lines. This band sometimes reminds me of early A Split Second. The last part of the work is a bit more Poppy.

+ + + : The way this band has transposed retro-elements into a refreshing production is absolutely great. The retro style will appeal for lovers of New-Beat and EBM bands which got featured in New-Beat DJ-sets -like A Split Second. After both debut cuts you get a succession of impressive songs.

– – – : Both debut tracks are musically cool but not that terrific while the vocals on the second track sound out of tune. So you better get a little bit patient before discovering the real splendor of this work.

Conclusion: Male Tears took me by surprise but “Krypt” is a real hot piece of retro-futuristic EBM mixed with New-Beat.

Best Songs: “Domin8”, “I Expire”, “Never Again”, “Deal3r”, “Jaded”.

Rate: 8½.

Label: www.avantrecords.com /  www.facebook.com/AvantRecords

About Male Tears

Male Tears is an American project set up by James Edward, who was later joined by Frank Shark. Live, the band works as a minimal New-Wave duo, with James on vocals and Frank on synthesizers.

“Krypt”, reviewed here, is the project’s third full length and its first release via Avant! Records, mixing EBM, New-Beat and Electro-Pop. The cover artwork was designed by Indonesian artist Eye Dust, drawing on 1980s heavy metal artwork and horror movie posters.

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-Wave, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Belgian MatesGeert Coppens and Peter Bonne (aka ‘Chrismar Chayell) started off as Autumn and one year later, in 1982, moved on with Twilight Ritual. The band released several noticeable productions. Chrismar Chayell later became a member of the legendary A Split Second. This album is a retrospective featuring some early songs, and also revealing previously unreleased tracks.

Content: From the very first notes and songs you clearly notice the typical 80s influence. This is ‘pure’ Electro-Wave mixing melodic parts together with darker, atmospheric passages. Harder cuts are carried by solid EBM bass lines. The work also features a few relaxing and somewhat Cinematic parts, which are even evoking Tangerine Dream. The vocals are rather clear.

+ + + : This work is an opportunity to (re)discover an ‘old’ and somewhat forgotten Belgian formation from the 80s. I like the magic of the analogue sound treatments, which are bringing the 80s alive. My favorite song is one originally released on the album “The Factory Scream” (2002). “Black Track” is a solid piece carried by a great EBM-minded bass line. The fans will be also pleased with the box of this album featuring next to both CDs a DVD with 15 songs. And there’s more good news as Twilight Ritual seems to be busy releasing completely new stuff.

– – – : I’ve never been a huge fan of the vocals’ production, which is missing passion and conviction.

Conclusion: Twilight Ritual was an interesting formation, but operating in the shadow of the Belgian great names from the 80s.

Best songs: “Black Track”, “Ums”, “Ups & Downs”, “Surrounded”, “Ever Changes”, “Tears On The Wall”.

Rate: 7.

Listen to “1982-2021”:

Artist: www.micrart.com /  www.facebook.com/twilightritual

Label: www.waverecordsmusic.com / www.facebook.com/waverecords Read the news on ‘1982-2021’.

About Twilight Ritual

Twilight Ritual is a Belgian electronic duo of Geert Coppens and Peter Bonne. The two had played together since 1977 and co-founded the non-profit organisation The Micrart Group. They ran the early electronic band Autumn from 1980 and started Twilight Ritual as a side project in 1982.

The Spanish label Auxilio De Cientos released their first album in 1985. The duo stopped at the end of that year when both members moved to different cities. Peter Bonne, who also records as Chrismar Chayell, had begun producing music for A Split – Second in 1985 and was part of that band until 1991.

The pair reunited in 1992 and released further albums through the Micrart label, among them “Organic” (1996), “Full Moon” (2000), “Nocturnal Transmissions” (2000), “Painted Wall” (2001), “The Factory Scream” (2002), “Distant Fires” (2009) and “Relectromagnetism” (2012). Frigio Records issued the limited white 10” “Fear For Loosing You” in 2012, and part of their early work was reissued on vinyl in the second half of the 2010s.

The retrospective “1982-2021” was compiled by Wave Records in 2021.

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 2021 edition of the Sinner’s Day Festival will take place from 30th October until 1st November 2021 at The Max in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. About 53 new wave, EBM, industrial, post-punk, synth-pop and eighties bands are featured on 2 stages.

This year the line-up includes: Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft (Robert Goerl & DAF world premiere), Gary Numan, Clan Of Xymox, Praga Khan, Covenant, Fields Of The Nephilim, Suicide Commando, Funeral Dress, The Arch, The Bollock Brothers, Your Life On Hold, Ground Nero, Absolute Body Control, A Slice Of Life, Astrasonic, Blancmange, Diary Of Dreams, Agent Side Grinder, Red Zebra, Siglo XX, The KVB, And Also The Trees, La Muerte, UK Subs, Glen Matlock, IAMTHESHADOW, A Split Second, BFG, Then Jericho, She Past Away, The Foreign Resort, Minuit Machine, Leaether Strip, Haujobb, Gene Loves Jezebel, Twin Tribes, La Lune Noire, Empathy Test, Jah Wobble and more!

There is also The Batcave, the dance-area where you can party while DJ’s spin their finest tracks 13h/day. A camping area is available if you want to stay next to the festival area at night!

Tickets can be ordered here

Be aware that you need to show a valid Covid certificate/Covid Safe Ticket to get access to the festival!

Out on September 17 via the fine São Paulo, Brazil based label Wave Records is a ‘best of’ compilation from one of pioneers of Belgian darkwave/coldwave/synthwave, Twilight Ritual. Twilight Ritual was Geert Coppens and Peter Boone who formed the band Autumn in 1981 . By 1982 they named themselves Twilight Ritual and would record 9 albums and 2 singles. In 1985, Peter Boone aka Chrismar Chayell, founded A Split Second with Marc Ickx, and TR would stay as second choice for years.

Geert Coppens and Peter Bonne have been involved in many different projects since, including many different musical styles, e.g Zug Im Veins, Wasteland, New Busters, Linear Movement. They were also behind the 1977 founded Belgian publisher Micrart Group which was also a label and artist management. They released the A Split Second releases but also New Beat compilations such as the cult release “New Beat – Take 1”.

The new Wave Records released compilation holds 34 tracks from 1982 til 2021 and is also available in a limited edition 2CD+DVD with videos (100 copies). A very special and limited fanbox with the ltd edition 2CD+DVD and t-shirt plus stickers and numbered postcard is also available.

An essential release, without them there wouldn’t be Klinik, ABC, and so many other darkwave acts.

Here are already a few tracks to check out. Read the review of ‘1982-2021’.

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

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
June 10th saw the release of yet another release from the ‘Der Eisenberg Sampler’ compilation series, this time the 10th edition! It’s a joint collaboration between Carlos Perón and the Norwegian label Sub Culture Records led by Per Aksel Lundgreen, whom I had a chat with to find out how this came together.

Per Aksel: Carlos started the record company Eisenberg at the end of the 80’s, and the first ‘Der Eisenberg Sampler’ was released on CD in 1992. When Carlos and Sub Culture Records started collaborating on digital distribution in 2013 these compilations where among our first releases. Carlos then wanted to continue releasing this series of compilations digitally, and now we’re at the 10th edition!
We’ve both chosen the tracks, and Carlos have mastered/remastered all the tracks. The Zone Tripper track is brand new and exclusive for this compilation for the time being, and the same goes for the Substaat track ‘Captivate’ featuring Psyokosister (aka. Hanne Haugsand).

S-L: Many will recognize Carlos Perón from other projects too?
P-A: Yep, he was a founding member of the legendary Swiss electronic band Yello and participated on their three first albums. His solo career spans an amazing number of albums, about 40 (!!!), including movie soundtracks. Most known would be ‘La Salle Blanche’, ‘A Dirty Song’, ‘Motorman’, ‘A Hit Song’, ‘Der Komtur’ og ‘Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted’.
He’s known from the New Beat scene too, where he broke ground with A Split Second and was one of those shaping things to come.

PS! Just as I was gathering info for this article, a MixCloud session with Yello tracks was forwarded to me from a friend, and who else than Carlos Perón made the introduction there!?

Check out the sampler yourself at Bandcamp or Spotify.

Jan Ronald Stange

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

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Plastikstrom is a German duo set up by Jürgen Schips and Matthias Günzler. They were previously involved with a gothic-rock band, but finally moved on with the electro-driven Plastikstrom. It took them years and a break to unleash their official debut album “Beton Gegen Angst”. The work was released in their homeland by Young And Cold Records. I’ve been deeply impressed by the mature production and efficient song writing mixing elements of EBM and dark-electronics. Plastikstrom took me by surprise and I can only encourage you to discover this band. I’d a chat with Jürgen and Matthias.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You guys were already involved together before you set up Plastikstrom. Tell us a bit more about your previous band Darc Entries and how did you finally come to set up Plastikstrom?

Plasikstrom: Darc Entries was founded in 1992 and was a gothic-rock band. Today you would of course call it a post-punk band. We were both founding members. In addition to punk and gothic-rock, we have always had a preference for electronic music. From the mid-90s, we both started working on purely electronic pieces alongside Darc Entries. This phase was very experimental and only took place in the rehearsal room. After 3 albums and many concerts, Darc Entries disbanded in 2001.

After the end of Darc Entries, the logical step for us was to focus more on electronic music. Since then, Plastikstrom has been our musical focus.

Q: Plastikstrom is already active for quite a long time, but it took you several years to release your official debut album “Beton Gegen Angst”. How did this album finally saw the daylight and tell us a bit more about the content and the sound?

Plastikstrom: Due to family and professional circumstances, we did not have the time to devote ourselves to music permanently and intensively, so  Plastikstrom was put on hold for several years. After this we received an inquiry for a sampler contribution for the anniversary of a well-known German underground club. So we started working on new material again and we did some new live shows as well. At a festival gig in Augsburg we met Marcel and Daniel from Young And Cold Records. They offered to release an album on their label.

The album was recorded in the Young And Cold Studio by Daniel Hallhuber. It contains older pieces from the early years of Plastikstrom (“Grosny” and “Mir Egal”), but also completely new songs like “Beton Gegen Angst” or “Tote Stadt”.

About the sound, we have a lot of musical styles that influence us and have shaped our musical life: from punk to dark-wave, electro and minimal. We believe that everything affects our sound somehow and we like it and that’s the way it should be.

Q: I would describe your album as the imaginary offspring between Calva Y Nada (for the dark atmosphere and 90s touch), Liaisons Dangereuses (for the EBM input) and Suicide (for its minimalism)! Does this description fit to your own perception and what can you say about potential sources of inspiration and personal references?

Plastikstrom: As mentioned before, we have always listened to different styles of music and bands, which of course have influenced us since early youth. Comparisons with other bands are difficult for us. But of course Calva Y Nada, Liaisons Dangereuses and Suicide are great bands and are also in our record cabinet. Of course, many Belgian bands are among our favorites too such as Vomito Negro, Neon Judgment or A Split Second… just to name a few.

Q: How do we have to understand the title of your album and what are the lyrics all about? And is there a particular reason all songs are only sung in your Mother tongue (German)?

Plastikstrom: In Darc Entries the lyrics were in English. With Plastikstrom it was clear to sing in German from the start. Firstly, it is easier to express yourself in the Mother tongue. On the other hand, we wanted to form a counterpart to Darc Entries not only in music, but also in the lyrics.

The title “Beton Gegen Angst” can be translated as ‘concrete against fear’. The idea came from a documentary about the construction of private bunkers in the USA. These concrete walls create a feeling of apparent security. But this is also associated with a kind of indifference to topics such as politics, ethics, etc. These walls also exist in the mind. Some songs are about this isolation of people from others. This cold experience can lead to the described effects, which are discussed in “Amok”. Relationship issues also play a role and “Illusionär” is about letting go of the fear when you leave life.

But no, we are of course not pessimists and run grimly through the area all day, so there is also time to write a song about a trip to the mountains, as described in “Wandertag”.

Q: You already released a few clips some years ago now. How do you look back at these experiences and are you planning new videos? What’s the importance and impact of making clips?

Plastikstrom: We made our oldest clip “Wandertag” on a hike in the Austrian mountains with lots of beer in our luggage. We just had fun and no concept. However, we were very happy with the result. Today we are already thinking more in advance. For example, we were able to film “Beton Gegen Angst” in a bunker from the cold war phase. We are also planning to create a video for another song from the album.

Q: Live performances definitely are the best way to reach a wider audience. How do you transpose your songs on stage? What might we expect from further live performances and are there other plans in the pipeline?  

Plastikstrom: It is very important for us to perform live. We like it very much, because we can better implement the energy of the songs. Of course, the term live with an electrical act is always a difficult thing. But we don’t play the songs according to fixed structures, so we can always change the songs individually at concerts. We only use hardware on stage. Nothing comes from computer or is playback. So the songs just sound rougher and powerful.

We have some gigs and festivals in Germany this year. And off course we would be very happy if we could also play in Belgium.

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-metal, industrial-rock, EBM

Background/Info: The famous Wax Trax! Records label was originally much into new wave and punk music and was founded by Jim Nash and his partner Dannie Flesher in Denver in 1975. In 1978 the independent label moved to Chicago and became the most important record label and store/boutique for industrial music in the US that served as the headquarters of underground electronic and industrial bands in the eighties and nineties. The strong brand Wax Trax! offered record deals to the artists they liked (as fans) and also licensed European artists in America. The very impressive Wax Trax! catalogue featured well-known bands like Ministry, Front 242, Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Front Line Assembly, Coil, Chris & Cosey and more!

Content: Industrial Accident has contributions of Al Jourgensen (Ministry/Revolting Cocks), Paul Barker (Ministry/Revolting Cocks), Chris Connelly (Ministry/Revolting Cocks), Luc Van Acker (Ministry/Revolting Cocks), Richard23 (Front 242/Revolting Cocks), Patrick Codenys (Front 242), Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Bill Leeb (Front Line Assembly), Groovie Mann (Thrill Kill Kult), David J. Haskins (Bauhaus), Sascha Konietzko (KMFDM), En Esch (KMFDM), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Steve Albini (Big Black), Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) and more. It explains the rise and fall of an important musical movement as well as the details and artifacts of this entire Wax Trax! Records history that was nearly lost forever.

A lot of hilarious anecdotes are explained by the contributing artists which makes it fun to watch! Al Jourgensen: “I played in Divine’s band by the way, playing guitar for Divine was … bizarre!”. Luc Van Acker, when speaking about Laibach: “How provocative can you be? It takes intelligent people to understand that! Wax Trax! created a space where we could do whatever we wanted!”. Unfortunately the label without business model (operating on trust, without contracts with their artists) declared bankruptcy in 1992 and Jim and Danny sold it to TVT Records. Jim Nash passed away on October 10, 1995 and Dannie Flesher deceased on January 10th, 2010.

+ + + : This 94 minutes (+ 75 extra minutes bonus material) documentary was directed by Julia Nash (daughter of Jim Nash) and won awards on the Santa Cruz Film Festival and Chicago Underground Film Festival. It is also available on Blu-Ray and as download on AppleTV, Amazon Prime and Google Play/YouTube Streaming.

– – – : Just one minor point: to make the circle complete, maybe an interview with some licensed European bands that were released by Wax Trax! (The Neon Judgement, The Young Gods, A Split Second, Laibach and more) would have been interesting, to hear their point of view.

Conclusion: Although it’s a huge story to tell the complete Wax Trax! history, this documentary gives a pretty good overview of what happened in the old days. Jim and Dannie “accidentally” built up the industrial scene in the US due to their passion and love for this music and bands and will never be forgotten!

Label: www.waxtraxchicago.com / www.facebook.com/WaxTraxRecords.Chicago/

About Wax Trax! Records

Wax Trax! Records was founded by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher, first in Denver in 1975 as an outlet for new wave and punk records. The label moved to Chicago in 1978 and grew into the main hub for industrial music in the United States through the 1980s and 1990s, signing and licensing acts on both sides of the Atlantic.

The label ran without contracts, on trust between Nash, Flesher and their artists. It filed for bankruptcy in 1992 and was sold to TVT Records. Nash died on October 10, 1995, and Flesher died on January 10, 2010.

“Industrial Accident: The Story Of Wax Trax! Records” is directed by Julia Nash, Jim Nash’s daughter, and gathers the artists who built the label’s catalogue to tell that history on screen.

Genre/Influences: Industrial, crossover.

Background/Info: Twenty one years after their last studio work under the Cubanate moniker, core members Marc Heal and Phil Barry are back on track unleashing new work. This EP features five new songs plus two remixes.

Content: Cubanate is back and the least I can say is that it doesn’t sound at all as this band has been inactive for more than twenty years. “Kolossus” still sounds pretty Cubanate like; a sound which is powerful, merciless and hard to define. The compositions sound like the offspring between multiple influences; a sonic fusion between industrial-, techno-, EBM and metal music. Aggressive sequences and some EBM-driven bass lines have been mixed with guitar assaults –which might appeal to KMFDM fans, plus the harsh screaming vocals of Marc Heal.

Remixes have been made by Rhys Fulber and Drownd.

+ + + : The violence emerging from this production is absolutely terrific. But there’s a perfect balance between the power and the different influences running through the work. Compared to the 90s productions of the band, this work maybe sounds a little tiny bit more electro-like and less metal-inspired. The five new songs are absolutely amazing. It’s an overwhelming production reminding me of an imaginary fusion between KMFDM and Empirion, but in the end it’s just Cubanate ano 2019! The songs are well-crafted, intelligent and literally exploding during the choruses –and I here especially refer to “Missing Persons” and “Vortex”.

– – – : When listening to this EP –which more appears to be a mini-album, you just want to hear more! The remixes are pretty cool as well, but not of a same level as the original songs.

Conclusion: I didn’t know what to expect from this comeback and I even was a bit skeptical. The result left me breathless and I even dare to affirm “Kolossus” is probably the best production I’ve heard from Cubanate! You guys rule!

Best songs: “Missing Persons”, “Vortex”, “Kolossus”, “Split Second”.

Rate: (9½).

The new EP (available here on MCD) contains five new songs plus remixes of the title track by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One) and DROWND.

Artist: www.facebook.com/cubanate

Label: www.armalyte.com / www.facebook.com/ArmalyteIndustries Read the news on ‘Kolossus’.

About Cubanate

Cubanate is the British industrial duo of Marc Heal and Phil Barry, active from 1992 to 1999 with albums including “Antimatter”, “Cyberia” and “Barbarossa” on Dynamic Records, and “Interference” on Wax Trax! Records. A later member, Julian Beeston (also of Nitzer Ebb), went on to front the project Featured. Cubanate reactivated for live shows in 2010 and issued the retrospective “Brutalism” in 2017 before “Kolossus” (2019, Armalyte Industries), its first new material in over two decades, featuring remixes by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly) and DROWND.

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: New-wave, EBM, minimal-electro, dark-electro, gothic.

Background/Info: This compilation featuring 26 bands is a way to remember the great W-Fest (festival) that took in place this Summer in Belgium. The festival was spread over 4 days, 3 scenes and featured an impressive number of bands. The organization invited some legendary 80s artists next to contemporary groups.

Artists: Parade Ground, A Split Second, Simi Nah, Dive, Suicide Commando, TB Frank & Baustein, Vine La Fête, A Slice Of Life, Flesh & Fell, Doganov, Red Zebra, The Breath Of Life ao.

Content: The first CD is clearly devoted to different kinds of electronic underground music. Parade Ground and A Split second will Takes us back in time with some legendary 80s songs while the electro-pop & minimalism of other bands such as Simi Nah, Enzo Kreft, Vive La Fête reveal contemporary 80s inspired sounds. It also is a way to rediscover some living legends such as Dive and Suicide Commando plus smaller bands such as Mildreda, Pro Patria, Herrnia.

The second disc brings us a mix of ‘old’ and contemporary gothic/new-wave. Red Zebra is a band we all know in Belgium, and which remains one of our best 80s ambassadors. A Slice Of Life could be the next big thing from Belgium. Here again you’ll discover very diversified groups moving from Ground Nero to Flesh & Fell, from Doganoc to The Breath Of Life etc.

+ + + : This is a fully enjoyable compilation, bringing different genres and especially music decades together. It also is a way to realize Belgium has a real great underground scene.

– – – : I just regret there aren’t more ‘exclusive’ tracks featured on the album, but it remains first of all a way to promote a great festival, already announced for 2019!

Conclusion: After the terrible lost of the Eurorock festival, Belgium moves on with a new ‘big fest’: W-Fest.

Best bands: A Split second, Enzo Kreft, Herrnia, Vive La Fête, A Slice Of Life, Flesh & Fell, red Zebra, Doganov, The Breath Of Life.

Rate: (8).

Label: www.wool–e–shop.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs

About W-Fest

W-Fest is an annual new-wave, EBM and gothic festival held in Belgium, running across several days and multiple stages. The 2018 edition drew on both veteran acts and contemporary bands, a mix reflected on this compilation.

The album was released on Wool-E Discs, the Belgian label that also documented the festival’s lineup through earlier compilations.

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

From 15th until 19th August 2018 the third edition of the W-Festival takes place at the festival-area in the Rue Couture d’Orroir in Amougies, Belgium. More than 60 new wave, EBM, industrial, post-punk, synth-pop and eighties bands are featured on 3 stages.

This year some of the confirmed artists are: Bauhaus (Peter Murphy 40 years of Bauhaus celebration feat. David J.), Anne Clark, DAF, Clan Of Xymox, DIE KRUPPS, Dive, Front Line Assembly, Suicide Commando, Covenant, Lords Of Acid, Vive La Fête, A Split Second, Project Pitchfork, Trisomie21, She Past Away, Chameleons Vox, Red Zebra, Kim Wilde, Paul Young, Marc Almond, Midge Ure, A Flock Of Seagulls, Heaven 17, ABC, …

Besides watching concerts you can also visit markets and merchandise shops, signing-sessions, afterparties and other exclusivities like the daily screening of “Industrial Accident – The story of Wax Trax ! Records” documentary (94 min.) from the 16th till the 19th of August at 10:30am.

Side-Line gives away 10 free tickets (for 4 days)! Just enter the contest below. We will choose the winners on June 18.

Information and tickets can be found here

Set up in 1992 by Len Lemeire and Geert Machtelinck, Belgian Implant celebrated their 25^th anniversary in 2017 releasing their 10^th official studio album “Oxynoxe-X” on Alfa-Matrix. Geert Machtelinck left the band during the early millennium years and got replaced by Jan D’Hooghe (previously involved with Vive La Fête). The sound and influences of Implant remained pretty similar, always mixing different influences together. From EBM to techno to trance to electro-pop, the new work however appears to be an ode to pioneers of electronic music and is according to me one of the best Implant releases ever. Enough reasons for a chat with Len Lemeire.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I noticed there’s a hiatus of four years between the past Implant albums. Len, you were definitely more prolific during the early  years so did you become a bit lazy or do you simply need more time and reflection after having released a new work?

Len: I think it’s a combination of things. Life has a way of interfering with the things you love. Over the past 4 years we bought a new house and totally innovated it. A lot has changed in my professional life, giving me way less time for music. The kids are getting older, and that is not making things simpler and I find it harder to come home and spend hours in a studio after a day of work. And I know that goes for Jan too.

One could say that music is a bit like sex in a long-term relationship. It’s still there; it’s most of the times even better then before. But there is no more sex on a daily basis (laugh).

All this also forces you to rethink things more. In a way we have become our own worst critics. Since we’re not releasing at the same tempo, we want these releases to be worth it. And that takes more time.

Q:  “Oxynoxe-X” is Implant’s 10^th official studio album, which is a real milestone in an artist’s career. Does it get you nostalgic or simply inspired to move on? Are there albums you would have accomplished another way today?

Len: Never look back in regret. 10 albums becomes a legacy. I was forced to change my car (after an accident) and the new one only has USB. So I filled a USB stick with a lot of music including all releases of Implant. At one point I played all, in one long go (over several drives). A lot of that time the kids were in the car, and discovered a big part of my releases (‘forced to listen to’ is a more accurate way of describing it). My son is 17 and very open minded in music. He was kind of impressed with the variety of things I did. I take that as a big compliment. Seems like Implant is accessible in a very alternative way (that were his words).

Would I have done things different? Sure, who wouldn’t? Music is a process of learning. It is the sum of your influences at that time. Struggling with your technological limitations and funds for instruments. That is how I see those 10 albums. One big process. And it was fun all the way.

And milestones. For me these are the people I met thanks to the music. Jan, Jean-Luc, Anne … etc. Those are the milestones for me. Sitting in a backstage with Claus Larsen and finding out he is a fan. Having Patrick Codenys come over to your studio to help you configure your new computer, while talking on how to make a baseline. But it’s also the friendship with people that started out being fans and ended up being friends. Those 10 albums enriched my life. And I have to thank music for that.

Q: “Oxynoxe-X” has been introduced as ‘a wink to one of the pioneers of electronica dance’. I think we all have understood who you’re referring about, but you also told me there’re more winks hidden behind the new work. What is it all about and why this ‘ode’?

Len: The concept of an ode came during the process of writing this album. Several times we asked ourselves, what made those classic ‘80’s albums so different?! And tried to take that legacy as part of composing a song. Resulting in some hidden winks to bands we both love. In the end, when we assembled an album out of the different studio sessions we both understood that this album reflected part of our love to electronic music.

This scene has changed dramatically over the years. Let’s face it, the cool kids are no longer attracted to this music. There is no real reason left to make this except for the love of this kind of music. This album is more of an album that will grow on you (or at least that is what we hope). Give it time to ripe. It became a passion thing. And I hope we figured a way to capture that feeling and share it.

And it’s a fun game too; you can try and find references some are obvious, others are more hidden. But admit, the lead on “Le Pouvoir” made you think of A Split Second.

Q: It might also explain the more experimental bonus disc, which sounds as Implant exploring the magic of analogue equipment, but it also became the most atypical Implant work ever. What can you reveal about the bonus disc “Oxynoxe-X²”?

Len: We are a bit fed up with releasing bonus disks filled with remixes. It’s a very simple way to release that little extra to have fans pay that little more for something they don’t really want. And it has become something nobody even questions. And as an artist it’s kind of a trap. You need 10 remixers, who will eventually ask for a remix for their own release. So you might as well write it yourself. On top I have to admit, I almost never play any of these 2^nd disk more then once.

Jan introduced me to the modular world. I was very reluctant in the beginning. Because this is a total different way of composing. The creation of sound with modular systems are endless. But there is a lot of room for error. Actually this modular world is all about sweet spots. If you find a sweet spot, things become real interesting. On disc one we tried a lot of stuff that resulted in very strange sounds and structures, but it was all a prolonging of the way we always composed. The difference was that we didn’t have to run through the sounds of synth for a new sound, but had to create the sounds themselves. We quickly understood that you could create sounds that had a life of their own. Adding layers of randomness. Resulting in very experimental stuff.

At that point the concept of this album being an ode to electronic music was a fact, and we realized that we didn’t ‘yet’ express our love to some of the real experimental music that was part of our youth. Bands like Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Klaus Schulze… ao.

A combination of these ideas led to composing disc 2. And I still think it’s way more interesting then yet another disc full of remixes. It was very time-consuming compared to sending out 10 mails to remixers. I hope people at least appreciate the idea.

Q: I like the sense of the title “I Sometimes Dream Of Imaginary Parties To Meat New People” featured at “Oxynoxe-X²”. What kind of parties and music do you have in mind and who are you dreaming of to meet?

Len: Haha, those titles are meant to be strange. But it has to be a party with long bearded woman and high-heeled men (laugh).

Q: “Oxynoxe-X” in a way clearly got inspired by a look back in the past, but what’s your perception about contemporary electronic music and all aspects related to a band, but maybe not relevant for artists such as social media, streaming platforms, image etc?

Len: It sure has changed a lot over the years. Net-presence seems to be more important then the actual music. Social media is a trap of likes. A study has proven that you judge people ‘more successful’ if they are your Facebook friends, but don’t really know them in real life. It’s fake! We only share what we think will look good on us. I think it has some good sides. Some bands are very creative with trying to get a Youtube presence. DIY clips are sometimes incredibly interesting. But far to often it’s not. And frankly, I hate people who mainly post with 15 hashtags in every sentence or every 2 words an emoji. Maybe I just have to admit I’m bad at this social media. I think it moved far away from the essence of making music.

Streaming platforms is something different. I do see the beauty of the availability of music. It’s an interesting platform to discover music. But as a service, it enhances the idea of music being a free commodity to people. And the business plan is mainly focused on maintaining the service, not the content. (the majority of the money is for an IT-center that makes it possible to actually stream music, only a small part is reserved for those that deliver content). I hear a lot of people comparing it to Netflix, but what people forget is that Netflix is also responsible for creating content. Comparing streaming to Netflix could result in a far more interesting experiment. Where streaming services had to sign artists to get content. I think music has lost a lot of filters these days. Everybody can upload a track and get some streams. I know, one might argue that the public is the ultimate democratic filter. Unfortunately democracy only works if everybody is capable of critical thinking.

But hey, just press ‘like’ on this interview, maybe press ‘play’ on my video or even press ‘like’ on Implant’s Facebook page. But most importantly keep scrolling; you never know what you might miss!

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

Yesterday we got a message via Instagram in from the Swedish artist Lizette Lizette announcing a new single, “Rest”. “Rest” features a duet with Nicklas Stenemo and it’s a real hit in the making, of course we added it immediately to our Spotify playlist.

”Rest” is the first single from the upcoming debut album, ”Queerbody”, which has been co-produced by Nicklas Stenemo (Kite, Nicole Sabouné). In this song, Stenemo also contributes some vocals. The band’s sound is clearly inspired by old New Beat-acts from Belgium like In-D and Split Second. That new sound is defined as being ‘queerbody’.

The sound has its roots in the synth-genre but it is at the same time a statement by Lizette Lizette against it, “criticizing the traditional synth-genre for being conservative and male-dominated”. The debut album will be released the 18th of January and the release party takes place at Taverna Brillo in Stockholm.

Here’s the video for the track:

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: Minimal EBM.

Background/Info: Ray Heflin is a Texas based artist who gained all my respect with his minimal EBM. Equitant released an impressive number of digital releases while the “Retrospekt 2008-2013”-CD released by EK Product was a kind of consecration for this musician.

After a long silence Equitant seems to be back unleashing this digital single on Heflin’s own label Black Montanas.

Content: “Operative” sounds in the familiar dark and minimal EBM style of this genius musician. The song clearly evokes early EBM influences reminding me to the early years and success songs of Belgian pioneers A Split Second and Signal Aout 42.

The vocals are in the good-old half-spoken format, creating a spooky touch to the song.

+ + + : Equitant confirms its fine taste for minimal and vintage inspired body music.

– – – : “Operative” is definitely not the best song I’ve heard from this project and it’s the single track featured on this release.

Conclusion: Equitant is one of those formations belonging to the newest generation of EBM although inspired by the old standards.

Best songs: “Operative”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/Equitant

Label: www.blackmontanas.com /  www.facebook.com/blackmontanas

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