(The visual is AI generated) In July 2024, German composer, musician and producer of electronic music Uwe H. Schmidt (aka Lassigue Bendthaus, Atom™, Atom Heart, or Señor Coconut) headlined the Russian Outline festival, which returned after its last edition in 2016, and this amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Run by the team behind Moscow club Mutabor, the house, techno and experimental festival took place last week (18-24 July) in Taldom, a small town on the outskirts of the capital. Playing were international acts like Atom™, Margaret Dygas and Le Syndicat Electronique who joined local DJs and live acts including Tim Aminov, Denis Kaznacheev and Sofia Rodina.

Present at the festival also was a military recruitment tent and vehicles marked with the letter “Z”, symbols associated with the Russian military effort against Ukraine.

Moscow region July 2023. Outline festival. I pointed out that u should remember those artists in the lineup. Can we tell now that they are officially support genocide of Ukrainians and act as an entertainment at the points of recruiting (mobilization) of russians for the war? pic.twitter.com/gxi5G6SgJf

— Maya Baklanova (@mayabaklanova) July 7, 2023

It didn’t take long before critics, such as Ukrainian activist Maya Baklanova, said that Western artists performing in Russia were normalizing the war and supporting the Russian regime by their participation.

Schmidt responded to the criticism by calling it a “smear campaign” against him. He defended his performance, implying that the accusations were unfounded and intended to damage his reputation. And he added: “It is also painful that at this point in my career I have, for the first time, to make a non-musical public statement of that sort, yet it seems that times require this to be done. (…) I consider myself a profoundly non- or rather trans-political person. Many years ago I had decided to take the path of making true human bonds through music. Unlike politics, which is the mode of separation, I had chosen music, which is the mode of connection.”

Surprisingly Schmidt’s recent performance in Russia was backed by an official support letter, issued by the German Embassy in St. Petersburg.

Liebe deutsche Techno-Community, um @Atom_TM_news, liebes deutsches Generalkonsulat in Sankt Petersburg @germania_online, habt ihr sie noch alle? Im kriegführenden russland die kriegsbejahende Masse mit deutschen Techno-Acts belohnen und damit diesen Terrorstaat normalisieren? pic.twitter.com/8BdGFjA7z8

— Ukrainki_UA (@Ukrainki_UA) July 28, 2024

This letter was accompanied by a meeting with the general consul Mr. Schimandl of which an official post was made on VK by the German Embassy itself. We took a screenshot of said post below.

Criticism continues as for instance even Russian techno producer Pavel Milyakov (aka Buttechno) accused the artists at the festival of attracting people to a war effort, stating that their performances indirectly supported the military budget used for the invasion of Ukraine.

Und wie wird sich versucht rauszureden? @Atom_TM_news will Verbindungen schaffen. Ich bezweifle, dass auf dem Festival Ukrainer sind. Zwischen wem werden also diese Verbindungen geschaffen? Zahlenden Kunden und einem deutschen DJ…? pic.twitter.com/9rfXdDRLaC

— Ukrainki_UA (@Ukrainki_UA) July 28, 2024

His official statements contains some disturbing clues, such as, “this link may be blocked in your free, democratic country,” “this situation, the one of being forced into political obedience,” and “(it) has poisoned music and other arts as it enslaves them to ideology.” He seems to suggest that condemning Russian aggression equates to political obedience.

And that is when, regrettably, we recognize a kind of responses that are typical among artists who support Russia, like for instance Simone Salvatori (Spiritual Front). It’s clear now that Uwe H. Schmidt decided to follow the Russian propaganda narrative instead of using is name and fame to condemn the Russian invasion. His defensive line as if music should be non-political is hereby completely destroyed. Rumor has it also that the DJs playing at the fest received exceptionally high fees.

Sad to see this happening from an artist we used to admire. Not anymore after this.

About Uwe H. Schmidt

Uwe H. Schmidt, born on August 27, 1968, in Frankfurt, Germany, began his musical journey in the early 1980s. Initially playing drums, he soon transitioned to programming a drum computer inspired by the sounds of the Linn Drum. In 1986, Schmidt co-founded the cassette label N.G. Medien, releasing works by international artists, including Frontline Assembly, and his own project Lassigue Bendthaus with “The Engineer’s Love”. His first official Lassigue Bendthaus album, “Matter”, was recorded over four years and released in 1991, establishing his early career.

Living in Frankfurt, Schmidt was influenced by the burgeoning house and acid house scenes. He adopted the alias Atom Heart and released several dance-oriented 12-inch vinyl records under various project names. In 1992, he produced tracks for DJs Pascal F.E.O.S., Ata, and Heiko M/S/O, contributing to the early trance movement. Collaborations with Tetsu Inoue led to the formation of the Datacide project in 1993. Despite challenges with record labels, Schmidt continued to innovate, founding his own label, Rather Interesting, in 1994 to explore diverse musical ideas.

In the mid-1990s, Schmidt collaborated with artists like Bill Laswell and Haruomi Hosono, producing albums under multiple aliases. He met Chilean musician Dandy Jack, and in 1997, they relocated to Santiago, Chile, where Schmidt completed the first Señor Coconut album, “El Gran Baile”. This period marked the creation of his “electrolatino” style, blending traditional Latin music with electronic elements. He continued to release a monthly album on Rather Interesting.

Schmidt’s last Lassigue Bendthaus album, “Pop Artificielle”, released in 1999 under the name LB included electronic cover versions of famous pop songs. His next major project, “El Baile Alemán” by Señor Coconut, featured cha-cha-cha versions of Kraftwerk songs and received approval from Kraftwerk themselves. The album’s success led to international tours, including Europe and an intended U.S. tour. During this time, Schmidt also released innovative works like Geeez ‘n’ Gosh and collaborated with Bernd Friedmann on the Flanger project.

Schmidt continued to remix prominent artists, including Depeche Mode and Air, while touring extensively with his 9-piece Señor Coconut orchestra. The album “Yellow Fever!”, featuring covers of Yellow Magic Orchestra songs, became a major hit in Japan. Schmidt also released the Señor Coconut album “Around the World”, collaborating with artists like Stephan Remmler and Louie Austen.

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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We are still getting quite a few questions regarding this, so here it is again. The “Celebrating David Bowie” tour has been postponed to the fall due to headliner Peter Murphy undergoing “an unexpected medical procedure that prevents his ability to travel as planned,” as announced by the his management. The Bauhaus frontman is recovering well and is expected to be fully fit to tour the U.S. in the fall.

The tour, which also features guitarist Adrian Belew and members of Spacehog and A Perfect Circle, was initially scheduled for April and May. The rescheduled dates now begin in October and continue through late November. The tour itinerary remains largely unchanged, albeit in a different order, and has expanded from 26 to 27 dates with the addition of a concert in Chicagoon November 21st. The planned San Antonio, Texas, stop has been moved to nearby Austin. More information can be found at celebratingdavidbowie.com.

The assembled musicians will highlight David Bowie’s greatest hits during the tour, with a strong emphasis on Ziggy Stardust, the Berlin trilogy (“Low”, “Heroes”, and “Lodger”), and his later Trent Reznor-inspired years. Murphy and Belew, who have both played with Bowie and Nine Inch Nails, will be joined on stage by guitarist Scrote, Spacehog frontman Royston Langdon, A Perfect Circle members Matt McJunkins (bass) and Jeff Friedl (drums), saxophonist Ron Dziubla, and guitarist Eric Schermerhorn, who played with Bowie’s Tin Machine.

Murphy had been touring with the reunited Bauhaus last year, but the journey fell apart when Murphy entered rehab in late August. The other members of Bauhaus have since agreed to reform as Love and Rockets.

Initial Rescheduled Appearances are:

• 10/10 Tacoma, WA Temple Theatre
• 10/11 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
• 10/14 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
• 10/16 Anaheim, CA City National Grove of Anaheim
• 10/17 San Diego, CA Music Box – San Diego
• 10/18 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre
• 10/20 Austin, TX ACL Live at The Moody Theater
• 10/21 Tulsa, OK Tulsa Theater
• 10/22 Grand Prairie, TX Texas Trust CU Theatre
• 10/24 Houston, TX House of Blues
• 10/25 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
• 10/26 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
• 10/29 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Broward Center – Parker Playhouse
• 10/31 St. Petersburg, FL Mahaffey Theater
• 11/03 Chattanooga, TN Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium
• 11/05 Virginia Beach, VA Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
• 11/06 Washington D.C. The Hamilton Live
• 11/10 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
• 11/11 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse
• 11/12 Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre at Westbury
• 11/14 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Center for the Arts
• 11/15 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Center
• 11/16 Lynn, MA Lynn Auditorium
• 11/17 Staten Island, NY St. George Theatre
• 11/20 Munhall, PA Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
• 11/21 Chicago, IL Copernicus Center %
• 11/22 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre

% – New Confirmed Performance – On-Sale 4/14

About Peter Murphy

Born on July 11, 1957, Peter Murphy is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist for the post-punk goth rock band Bauhaus. When Bauhaus initially split up, Murphy collaborated with Japan’s bassist Mick Karn to form Dali’s Car, releasing one album titled “The Waking Hour” (1984). Subsequently, Murphy embarked on a solo career, releasing several albums, such as “Should the World Fail to Fall Apart” (1986) and “Love Hysteria” (1988).

In 1990, Murphy found mainstream success with his hit single “Cuts You Up”, which topped the American Modern Rock Tracks for seven weeks, and the album “Deep” also achieved commercial success. In 1992, he released “Holy Smoke” along with the lead single “The Sweetest Drop”.

In 2002, Murphy collaborated with Turkish-Canadian composer and producer Mercan Dede on the – excellent – album “Dust”, which showcased a departure from his previous pop and rock styles. The album incorporated traditional Turkish instrumentation and songwriting, blending elements from progressive rock, trance, classical music, and Middle Eastern music with Dede’s signature atmospheric electronics. In 2014, Murphy released “Lion”, produced by Killing Joke’s Youth.

With his thin frame, striking cheekbones, deep baritone voice, and affinity for dark poetry, Murphy is often referred to as the “Godfather of Goth”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The Eugene, Oregon (USA) based post-punk / darkwave trio Stariana has just unveiled their new single, “Paradise Is Lost On You”. “Paradise Is Lost On You” is available digitally on Apple Itunes and Amazon.com and comes accompanied by a video which you can view below.

As far as the sound is concerned Stariana is heavily influenced by such bands as Depeche Mode, New Order, Bauhaus, Jesus And Mary Chain and 90’s era Britpop; Elastica, Blur, The Stone Roses “with just a little bit of Blondie and Joan Jett mixed in for flavor” as they put it.

Stariana is Nikki Brackett, Victor St. Petersburg (of Black Magdalene) and Tethys.

Here’s the video for “Paradise Is Lost On You”.

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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Today Toronto-based Artoffact Records has announced the signing of the Russian post-punk trio Черная речка (Russian for ‘Black River’). Черная речка formed in Kirov in 2013 and emerged from the ashes of the garage punk band Debauch.

Since 2021, the band has fully relocated to St. Petersburg, where they are in the process of recording a new album, slated for release in 2022 on Artoffact Records. In the meantime, the band’s entire back catalogue, a collection of 7 EP-length recordings, is now available digitally.

Their discography:

• Сторона А (2014)
• Сторона Б (2014)
• Праздник (2015)
• Часть 2: Свои (2016)
• Часть 1: Чужие ‎(2016)
• В Этом Северном, Снежном, Холодном Краю ‎(2018)
• О (Sierpien Records – 2019)

Below is the band’s most recent output.

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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UK’s synthpop act Erasure have announced a North American tour earlier today set to launch January 14, 2022 in Miami before wrapping up in late February at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Bag Raiders will open each date with a DJ set.

News of the North American tour follows the 2020 release of Erasure’s eighteenth studio album, “The Neon”. This Summer, the duo will release “The Neon Remixed”, a collection of reimaginings of songs from The Neon by artists such as Kim Ann Foxman, Hifi Sean, Octo Octa, Paul Humphreys (OMD), Andy Bell & Gareth Jones, Brixxtone, Theo Kottis, and more. Also included is the brand new single “Secrets”.

Below are the tour dates. Tickets will be available from Friday on.

Erasure The Neon Tour 2021-2022

• October 1 – Glasgow, Scotland – Armadillo SOLD OUT
• October 2 – Glasgow, Scotland – Armadillo SOLD OUT
• October 4 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
• October 6 – Edinburgh, Scotland – Usher Hall SOLD OUT
• October 7 – Edinburgh, Scotland – Usher Hall SOLD OUT
• October 9 – Manchester, England – O2 Apollo SOLD OUT
• October 10 – Manchester, England – O2 Apollo SOLD OUT
• October 12 – Cardiff, Wales – Motorpoint Arena
• October 14 – Bournemouth, England – International Centre
• October 16 – Birmingham, England – Utilita Arena
• October 17 – London, England – The O2
• October 18 – Brighton, England – Centre
• October 21 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
• October 22 – Berlin, Germany – Max-Schmeling-Halle
• October 24 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
• October 26 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
• October 27 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclaycard Arena
• October 28 – Leipzig, Germany – Immobilien Arena
• January 14 – Miami Beach, FL – The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater
• January 15 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center
• January 16 – St. Petersburg, FL – The Mahaffey Theater
• January 18 – Durham, NC – DPAC – Durham Performing Arts Center
• January 20 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
• January 25 – Toronto, ON – Meridian Hall
• January 27 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Byham Theater
• January 28 – Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Arena at UIC
• January 29 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
• February 1 – Asbury Park, NJ – Paramount Theatre
• February 3 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
• February 4 – Atlantic City, NJ – Caesars *
• February 5 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre presented by Citizens Bank
• February 8 – Atlanta, GA – Symphony Hall
• February 11 – Houston, TX – TBA (venue & on sale to be announced)
• February 12 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
• February 13 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater *
• February 15 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
• February 18 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
• February 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center
• February 23 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
• February 25 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
• February 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Performance Venue @ Hollywood Park
• February 27 – Las Vegas, NV – Venetian Theatre

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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KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND has been set up in 2011. The Italian formation went through a few line-up changes and is now driven by the duo Matteo Scarpa – Antonio Angeli. By the end of last year they released their newest album “Killadelica”, which is a dark and powerful mix of Shoegaze, Post-Punk and Psychedelic music, but still exploring Industrial-, Ritual- and Experimental paths. The work reveals an impressive progression and maturity, becoming one of my 2020 favorites. I’d a chat with Matteo and Antonio.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND has been set up in 2011. How did you come to set up the band and what have been the main facts from the past ten years?

KYB: It all started with the idea of creating a band that could mix the structure of the ‘No-Wave’ songs with Psychedelic-Noise guitars. We were lucky because we found a good chemistry and quickly were able to self-produce our first 6-song EP (September 2011) and started playing live in clubs and festivals around Italy.

It was with our first album “S / T” released by Shyrec in 2013 that we started to be recognized and played over 80 shows; also in other European countries, but mainly in Germany.

2015 was the year of the 10″-split with NEW CANDYS and our second album “The King Is Dead” (Shyrec) produced in collaboration with Luca Giovanardi (JULIE’S HAIRCUT). In the same years we participated to some great festivals as “Musical Zoo” in Brescia, opening for bands like THE KVB and ZOLA JESUS.

From 2016 to 2018 we performed extensively throughout Europe and did a couple of concerts in Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg). During this time we met bands like PREOCCUPATIONS, ZU, CIVIL CIVIC and many other great artists. Meanwhile we have released our second EP “Ghosts” (2016 – Shyrec) and a 7″-single, “Ulrich” (2017) on the Russian label Other Voices Records.

At the end of 2019 the British label Depths Records released our single “Elizabeth”, which includes a remix of the same song by PREOCCUPATION’s guitarist Danny Christiansen and we played some shows in the UK as well.

The new album “Killadelica” was released on November, 6th, 2020 by the labels Sister9 Recordings (UK), Little Cloud Records (US) and Shryec (ITA).

Q: A few changes happened in the line-up. How does it feel to work as a duo and what makes the chemistry between you both?

KYB: Luckily there’s a great chemistry between both of us; in both songwriting and touring life, but there’re two other different aspects you need to consider. It’s easier to work with just two heads when deciding what is the best move for the band; apart from loading the car it’s better to have more help… do you agree? Getting back to your question, we have the same reasons and we respect each other and therefore, in our opinion, these are the reasons that led us to work this way.

Q: By the end of 2020 you released your new album “Killadelica”. Can you give us more details about the title of the album plus the titles of the songs (which like on previous works are often first names)? What have been the different stages to accomplish this work?

KYB: After choosing the band name -KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND is based on a graphic novel created by Grant Morrison and Philip Bond published by Vertigo-DC Comics, we thought it would be fun to create a list of ‘boyfriends’ to name the songs after. Thus, in the first releases, we tried to transpose the feelings experienced by the victims into music.

Instead for this album we changed our point of view. So we didn’t talk about the emotions felt by the ‘boyfriends’, but by their killers. We started doing extensive research to study all the stories we found about real black widows and more. We have to be honest and admit that some stories are drawn from ancient mythology, movies or even comics.

For the title of the album we wanted to mix the word ‘kill’ with something that could resemble the word ‘Psychedelic’ and honestly it’s also inspired by one of PRIMAL SCREAM’s masterpieces, “Screamadelica”.

Q: I personally consider “Killadelica” as your most mature- and best album to date! There’s such a great balance between guitar play and electronics featuring haunting vocals on top. Can you give us more details about the writing of the songs and the potential sources of inspiration?

KYB: We are really proud of “Killadelica” and thank you for your words about it. To answer to your question, as we said in the previous one, we have done a long research. We chose the stories following empathy. Our main idea was that “Killadelica” should have a kind of roller coaster of different emotions. This is probably why all the songs aren’t that similar to each other, even though they have the same dark and Psychedelic heart.

Q: How do you see yourself as musicians? When do you know a song/album is finished? Do you feel some aspects of the production could have been done a different way when you’re listening to the album right now?  

KYB: Due to this pandemic crisis we’re facing, unfortunately it’s not easy to live as musicians or artists in general. We miss the stage and the people we meet on tours. On the other hand, we have a lot of time to work on some new songs and other projects as well.

However, we usually start overproducing each song. Then, following the idea ‘less is more’, we cut all the tracks that give nothing. This is the right moment when we understand that the work is complete. But honestly, it has happened in the past that we would have liked to change something in the final mixes, especially in some of the early songs. Luckily it hasn’t happened with “Killadelica” until now and probably the reason is because we focused the concept immediately before starting to compose the album.

Q: A few new clips have been released. Is there a link between the clips and the lyrical content of the songs and what did you try to express by a clip?

KYB:We like it when the clips reflect the lyrics, but especially the mood of the song and we normally try to follow this idea. The two videos we made for “Elizabeth” and “Jean”, the first two singles taken from “Killadelica”, are based on the female figure shown in two different ways. In the first clip the woman is driven to the madness that led her to commit a murder, in the second the main theme is the suffocation felt by the characters.

Q: What are the further plans and especially ‘post-Corona’?

KYB: We are working on a new video/single taken from “Killadelica” and as we wrote before we are also composing some new songs and working on some new projects.

Let’s just hope this pandemic period ends soon and, of course, we can’t wait to get back on tour. Read the review of ‘Killadelica’.

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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“Synthagma” is the new album by Ivan Iusco, the Italian composer based in Los Angeles and author of numerous soundtracks for feature films, TV shows and new media.

“Synthagma” includes 12 tracks of which 3 are co-written with the Greek singer and musician Kid Moxie (“Head On Fire”, “Fly’s Heart” and “The Other Side”). You might remember her from her past collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch Foundation. Iusco also engaged the Russian soprano Maria Bochmanova and Leo Gadaleta, the violinist from Bari, who has played with such musicians as Ennio Morricone and Antony and the Johnsons.

The recordings were made between 2018 and 2019 in Los Angeles, with the exception of the title track, for which vocals were recorded at the historic PRS Studio in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“For some time I had been planning to compose an album starting from a precise historical period of my path, in which electronic music began to have a powerful impact on a global level, interacting on different fronts, including the cyberpunk cultural movement. I am of course referring to the 90s. I had the feeling of having left unwritten a chapter linked to those times. In 2018 this thought popped up once again and so I decided to conceive an album that looked through the eyes of that period at the materialization of our fragile post-human contemporaneity”, says Iusco.

The cover image “Untitled”, is taken from the “When Light Casts no Shadow” photo series (2008) by Portuguese photographer Edgar Martins and portrays one of the runways of the Santa Maria airport located on the archipelago of the Azores. Edgar Martins is a former NY Times collaborator and he released covers and portraits for Pink Floyd, Madonna and The Streets.

“Synthagma” will be released by Minus Habens.

The music videos for “Head On Fire” and “Sabotage” are available on YouTube, two songs that preceded the release of “Synthagma” by a few months.

Head On Fire (Official Music Video)

Sabotage (Official Music Video)

About Ivan Iusco

Ivan Iusco is an Italian award-winning film music composer based in Santa Monica, California.

He has composed diverse and evocative scores for feature films, TV shows, documentaries, video art, choreographies and art exhibitions. He debuted in the film industry in 1999, scoring the Italian cult movie “LaCapaGira” directed by Alessandro Piva that won Best Soundtrack at the Valencia Film Festival (Spain, 2000).

His scoring career also includes the Italian blockbuster “Ho Voglia Di Te” (2007) by the Spanish director Luis Prieto. In 1987, he founded the pioneering music label Minus Habens (involving international artists such as Brian Eno, Angelo Badalamenti, Aphex Twin and Depeche Mode) through which he explores and publishes avant-garde and cutting-edge music.

Ivan Iusco’s forthcoming projects include two original soundtracks for films currently under development and two original songs for one of the most anticipated video game of 2020.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
The St. Petersburg based darkwave band Otto Dix releases their 10^th album, named ‘Autocrator’, and I had a quick chat with the vocalist Michael Draw about what’s up in Russia these strange days.

Side-Line: This is the 10th album from Otto Dix – what have changed most through the
years?
Michael Draw: The most important thing changed – it’s my band partner Sergei ‘Slip’ left the crew and now his place is taken by guitar player Mike Interio. He also composes the music and makes the sound engineering. That’s why the sound turns from electro avant-garde to dark metal, but of course we don’t play metal. Yet 😀

S-L: ‘Autocrator’ – any particular person in mind here? A type of persona? Or is it to be interpreted as one sees fit?
MD: The main idea of the album is Power. Power of the Persona over the Society, power of the Society over the Persona, power of the Mind over the Feeling and power of the Feeling over the Mind. And also this album is about something which can’t be controlled and possessed – Time.
Ok, the album is not about Putin 😀

S-L:- How did the corona pandemic affect you?
MD: Of course, we’ve lost lots of money, you know! We’re professional musicians and music is not only sense of our life, but also our job. Lots of our concerts were postponed or even denied, the borders are closed, so we couldn’t go to Switzerland and couldn’t invite the European bands to take part in our festivals. I’m greatly disappointed. And also our sound engineer got the corona (he’s totally OK now), that’s why the danger of missing the release date occurred, and that’s why my new band mate Mike Interio had to do the sound engineering.
We still play darkwave. Darkwave with lots of guitars.engineering and sound mastering by himself.

S-L: Future plans for releases? Or concerts when the corona situation calms down?
MD: Now we’re trying to organize our tour in Russia, and we also plan some concerts in Europe. But as you’ve said, the corona situation makes all our plans not so solid… Oh, and also we plan to release the album in Germany!

Stream the album here:

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Crystal Geometry is a project set up by French producer Maxime Fabre. As the artists says it is his ‘techno project’, which is driven by hard techno elements and minimal-electronics with some EBM on top. After having released some noticeable EP’s on labels such as Hands, Tripalium Records, RND.Records and of course Sonic Groove, the debut full length “Senestre” (Sonic Groove) has been unleashed this year. The work has been introduced as ‘a rebellion against oppressive powers’. So this is what Maxime Fabre has to say about it.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Maxime, I think you were previously involved with metal music. So how did you get in touch with electronic music? And do you see similarities between metal music and your ‘techno’ style? 

Maxime: As a listener when I was teenager I got interested in the feeling of violence in music. In a couple years, scanning through different subgenres, I went from listening to Iron Maiden and hard-rock bands alike to  Mayhem and black-metal. I was interested in the most extreme form of music.

That’s how I found out about hardcore/speedcore and how started my journey into electronic music. I guess the regular use of guitar sounds and vocals in the tracks I have produced as Crystal Geometry might be considered as similarities between metal and my style of techno

Q: Tell us a bit more about the Crystal Geometry-sound properly speaking? What’s the main goal when you start working on a new track? 

Maxime: What I am usually trying to achieve is a correct blend of influences, I am trying to sound like Atari Teenage Riot meets Burzum meets DAF and the result should be able to move a crowd of freaks raving in an abandoned weapon factory (lol).

Q: I think to have read you’re very demanding when it comes to your work. What does this say about yourself? Does it mean you consider a track as never achieved? And how would you analyze your personal evolution as artist/producer? 

Maxime: I am not really a perfectionist when it comes to production, I often think that my best tracks are the ones I spent less time on. If a track takes longer than a couple of days to produce  it almost means I won’t finish it ever.

When it comes to performing it’s all very different for me and I am almost never satisfied with my performances. I always think I should have done better and that there was so many things that went wrong.

Q: You recently released the new album “Senestre”, which is meant as ‘a rebellion against oppressive powers’. Is this an album with a message or just a kind of rebellion? How did you transpose these feelings/ideas into sounds and tracks? 

Maxime: It’s not an album with one message. It revolves around the concept of rebellion, but each track has its own focus. Some of them are straightforward (“Occupied Territories”, “No Respect For Officials”…) some are more metaphorical and are left to interpretations (“We Follow The Left Hand Path”, “Sirius Light” …).

Titles, lyrics, the use of samples or the general composition is how the message can be perceived 

Q: You clearly like to compose your music with modular equipment. I notice more and more artists are getting wild again for modular equipment, but what makes it that special for you? Can you briefly explain how you work with this equipment? 

Maxime: For a very long time I dreamed of creating a perfect groovebox for performing live, I’ve been doing it for years and I’ve used a terribly long list of machines, all with their shortcuts and qualities. My main interest in modular equipment came from this; it’s the way I found to create a system that I could use to perform how I intended it. For me, in the first place, it wasn’t about sound design or experimentation.

Nowadays I have two different systems that are constantly evolving (but that I have limited in size and don’t want to expand anymore). There is one I use to play live when I perform. The other one is designed for studio work, which I use as a sound source to create clips of material that I include in my productions or to process other machines.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the way you produce yourself on stage? How do you prepare a live performance and do you change some aspects of the live show depending the place where you play or the audience? 

Maxime: Before the last two/three years I was trying to create everything on the fly when performing live. I used a lot of generative music techniques on the modular and was completely improvising. Nowadays I perform tracks like a band would play its songs. I already know the scores, but I improvise around it. I still use generative techniques for the drums or other rhythmic elements as that kind of part are easy to create on the fly.

Very often preparing a live performance starts with tuning my system as I regularly swap a couple of modules to try new ideas. Then I work on a setlist of tracks; I never play the same set twice. I create some patterns that works with said tracks and doing so I generally rewrite some synth parts. I create banks of samples that I will use on stage, new drums, movie samples, guitar sounds …

The setlist is always thought in the context of the place and the audience (and also of the time I will play and the line-up. It’s not set in stone and while performing I can alter it but while working on it before the gig I try to visualize the party, the mood the people should be in what they would expect and how to surprise them…

For some gigs I wrote new tracks specifically aimed at the audience, for example I wrote “Occupied Territories” before playing Khidi (Tbilisi, GE) as 20% of Georgia is still occupied by Russia or before playing RAF25 (St. Petersburg, RU) I wrote an anti authoritarian track titled “Elektroshocker” featuring samples in Russian in support of the actvists being trialed in the Russian high profile ‘network’ case in the city.

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: Experimental, industrial, dark-ambient.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Next to several split/collaborative releases, Kryptogen Rundfunk has now accomplished its third full length album. Operating from St. Petersburg (Russia) Artyom Ostapchuk set up this project in 2002. Next to his numerous activities in several projects he also set up the label Zhelezobeton. Notice by the way this album is also available as DCD featuring an extra live recording.

Content: The sound universe of Kryptogen Rundfunk stands for a truly sonic fusion. You get the impression listening to a sonic puzzle made of industrial noises, field recordings and the manipulation of sounds played by acoustic instruments. You’re walking through icy atmospheres reinforced with deep, vibrating sound resonances. Some passages have something more electronic-driven resulting in a ‘klinik’-al mood. The album finally ends in an ambient- & noise cataclysm.

+ + + : The work is diversified because of the interaction between the different influences. I enjoyed the low-frequency sound waves mixed with industrial sound treatments. “Transverter Waltz” is a somewhat different cut for being a little bit more electronic. It has been built up with cold electronics, creating a disturbing feeling. The last song “Palus Somni” is a heavy piece, which I especially like for its evolution into a noise climax. Production-wise I would say this album has been accomplished with real professionalism.

– – – : “Tales From The Mirrored Spaces” remains a hardly accessible work for a wider audience, but I’ve some doubts it’s the kind of album meant to please a wider audience.

Conclusion: Kryptogen Rundfunk has something fascinating, being a kind of sonic hybrid between different dark-minimal music styles.

Best songs: “Transverter Waltz”, “Attention Selector”, “The Ritual Of Dissolution”,“Palus Somni”

Rate: (7½).

Artist: http://kr.radionoise.ru /  www.facebook.com/kryptogenrundfunk 

Label: www.zoharum.com / www.facebook.com/zoharum

About Kryptogen Rundfunk

Kryptogen Rundfunk started in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 2002 and is now based in Amstelveen, the Netherlands. The project works with analogue electronics, radio waves, electromagnetic interference and found sound, building abstract sonic images at the extremes of the audible spectrum. Its catalog includes releases on Zhelezobeton, KultFront, Still*Sleep and NEN Records, with “Tales From The Mirrored Spaces” arriving on Zoharum.

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

On November 16th Accession Records will release the debut album “Weapon of Choice” by Coma Alliance, the joint venture of the wave/electro artists Adrian Hates (Diary of Dreams) and Torben Wendt (Diorama).

For a first impression I also recommend the video of the song “Royd”.

Coma Alliance has its stylistic roots firmly embedded in the dark alternative scene but has been complemented by trip hop and minimal electro elements. They first went on tour under the Coma Alliance moniker in 2016, at the time still devised as independent shows of either Diary of Dreams and Diorama with mutual guest appearances. In January 2019 Coma Alliance will play 7 German and 2 Russian cities – as 1 band with 1 joint stage show.

During the show the duo will present both new interpretations of well-known classic pieces of both their bands as well as songs from Coma Alliance’s upcoming debut album.

Coma Alliance on tour (Special guest In Strict Confidence)

• 11.01.2019 Oberhausen, Kulttempel
• 12.01.2019 Hamburg, Markthalle
• 17.01.2019 Frankfurt, Batschkapp
• 18.01.2019 Stuttgart, im Wizemannµ
• 19.01.2019 München, Backstage
• 25.01.2019 Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt
• 26.01.2019 Dresden, Reithalle
• 15.02.2019 St. Petersburg (RUS), Aurora Concert Hall *
• 16.02.2019 Moskau (RUS), Club Theater *

* Without In Strict Confidence

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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a-ha will embark on an October and November 2019 tour where the trio (Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Pål Waaktaar-Savoy) will be performing in ‘An Evening With’ format, with an interval. For the first half of the concert, they will play new and old, familiar and less-familiar songs. Then, after returning to the stage, they will play the ten songs of their 1985 debut album “Hunting High And Low” in the running order of the original release.

Back in October 2010, a-ha had played the whole of “Hunting High And Low” just twice (quite an unforgettable event we must say), first at Oslo’s Konserthus and then at London’s Royal Albert Hall (from where we reported live back then).

The tour is timed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the release of the original version of “Take On Me” – issued in the UK on 19 October 1984 to reputed sales of just 300 copies. The re-recorded “Take On Me” was released in Britain during April 1985 to little fanfare, and in America that May where it hit big after its striking promotional video was seen on TV. It was reissued in the UK that September and, finally, the British hit came. The Hunting High And Low album was on sale in America in June 1985, and in the UK in October 1985.

Here are the dates scheduled:

• 29 OCT – Dublin – 3Arena
• 30 OCT – Belfast – SSE Arena
• 01 NOV – Glasgow – The Armadillo
• 02 NOV – Leeds – First Direct Arena
• 05 NOV – London – Royal Albert Hall
• 06 NOV – Brighton – Brighton Centre
• 08 NOV – Amsterdam – AFAS Live
• 09 NOV – Paris – Seine Musicale
• 12 NOV – Mannheim – SAP Arena
• 13 NOV – Leipzig – Leipzig Arena
• 15 NOV – Oberhausen – Koenig Pilsner Arena
• 16 NOV – Bremen – OVB Arena
• 18 NOV – Warsaw – Towar Arena
• 20 NOV – St. Petersburg – Ice Palace
• 22 NOV – Moscow – Krokus City Hall

Side-Line also covered a-ha’s ‘s Magne Furuholmen has a solo album coming up – here’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Synthpop/Synthwave artists The Rain Within announce they will be touring with VNV Nation on their upcoming North America Noire tour. The Rain Within will be replacing De/Vision on the tour. The Noire tour begins November 16th in Austin,TX and ends December 15th in Las Vegas,NV and also features German Post-Punk/Shoegaze act Holygram.

Founded by Andy Deane, the vocalist of the Alternative Goth Rock band Bella Morte, The Rain Within released their second studio album “Atomic Eyes” released on Negative Gain on Valentine’s Day, 2018. The album merges synthwave and sythpop building a bridge between the 80s and today’s audience.

In related news, do also check out this VNV Nation interview.

Tour Dates

• Friday November 16 2018 Austin, TX Barracuda
• Saturday November 17 2018 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
• Monday November 19 2018 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
• Tuesday November 20 2018 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
• Wednesday November 21 2018 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Live
• Friday November 23 2018 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
• Saturday November 24 2018 New York, NY Irving Plaza
• Sunday November 25 2018 Boston, MA Royale
• Tuesday November 27 2018 Montreal, QC Corona Theater
• Wednesday November 28 2018 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
• Friday November 30 2018 Detroit, MI St. Andrews
• Saturday December 1 2018 Chicago, IL The Metro
• Sunday December 2 2018 Minneapolis, MN Skyway Theater
• Tuesday December 4 2018 Denver, CO The Oriental Theater
• Wednesday December 5 2018 Salt Lake City, UT The Metro
• Friday December 7 2018 Seattle, WA Neptune
• Saturday December 8 2018 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
• Sunday December 9 2018 Vancouver, BC Imperial Theatre
• Wednesday December 12 2018 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
• Thursday December 13 2018 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
• Friday December 14 2018 Phoenix, AZ Marquee
• Saturday December 15 2018 Las Vegas, NV Backstage Bar

Andy Deane has toured the US extensively and found his way to Europe and the UK on several occasions with both The Rain Within and his gothic rock band Bella Morte.

Side-Line also covered VNV Nation’s ‘Electric sun’.

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

Background/Info:

About Porch Nap

Porch Nap is the recording name of a Russian artist from St. Petersburg, active on the Fulldozer Records roster since the late 1990s. “Antidot (Selected Works 2007-2017)” gathers tracks the artist composed between 2007 and 2017, reworked for the release with contributions from guest artists including Fedor Svolotch, Kryptogen Rundfunk, Brompton’s Cocktail, Alexei Borisov and American artist Phillip “PBK” Klingler, plus a remix by Alexander Zaitsev.

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: Dark-ambient, soundscape.

Background/Info: This untitled album is a split release between 3 dark-ambient & experimental formations from the magic Russian city St. Petersburg. All projects have been featured with one single track while the last cut is a live track featuring a collective performance of the 3 artists. Notice by the way all artists already released some work on Zhelezobeton before.

Content: The common element between all the projects is the dark-ambient and soundscape-like approach of their composition. From heavy, overwhelming, dark sound waves to field recordings (and/or samplings) to boiling sounds announcing an imaginary disaster to voices lost in a soup of noises, this work is a sonic puzzle, which now sounds pretty abstract and than pure ambient-like. The live cut is a fully accomplished piece of ambient, which has been progressively built up and revealing a mystic touch.

+ + + : The visual aspect of the work is an essential part of ambient music. This split release is quite diversified in its sonic approach, but there clearly is coherence between all artists, which comes perfectly through at the final cut. This track is a well-crafted piece moving quite progressively towards a climax. It will hold you in its grip for more than 30 minutes.

– – – : Some of the abstract passages aren’t my favorite ones. This is the kind of record, which needs a visual element and that’s a bit missing when you only get the music.

Conclusion: This split-album appears to be a truly sonic puzzle and at the same time mayhem of sound experimentalism and field recordings joined by obscure atmospheres.

Best songs: “Mooshrooty”, “Bog People” by Ogni Videniy, “Atchafalaya” by Uhushuhu.

Rate: (7).

Bands: www.facebook.com/uhushuhuu / www.facebook.com/Ogni–Videniy-216232821897805 / www.facebook.com/lunar.abyss.deus.organum

Label: www.zhb.radionoise.ru / www.facebook.com/zhbrecords

About Uhushuhu, Ogni Videniy And Lunar Abyss Deus Organum

Uhushuhu is a drone and dark-ambient project from Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded in 2013 by Pavel Dombrovsky and Nikifor Ostanin.

Ogni Videniy is a project of Russian musician Petr Abysov.

Lunar Abyss Deus Organum has been active since 1998 and has released a large catalog of recordings. The three acts each contribute one track to this Zhelezobeton split, closed by a collective live recording.

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-rock, pop-rock.

Background/Info: Hailing from St. Petersburg (Russia) Ghostfeeder is a rather new name dealing with a mix of electronics and rock music. The band went on tour together with En Esch in 2015. “World Fameless” is the debut full length of this formation.

Content: From start on you rapidly will notice a mix of electronics and rock music. The drum sections and guitar are pretty rock-minded while the electro parts reveal some pop inspiration.

Most of the tracks are characterized by an interesting progression in the song structure. Some of the choruses reveal powerful outbursts. Next to a few powerful cuts the album also features a few softer pieces, which however remain pretty rough in sound.

+ + + : “World Fameless” reveals an interesting progression in the global structure of the composition. There’s a good balance between electronics and guitar. The guitar parts are quite powerful while the electronic treatments are made of dirty/raw electro sounds. Globally speaking the work is diversified and feature the contribution of En Esch as a special guest on the song “The Vampire Youth.”

– – – : Ghostfeeder is not exactly innovating in sound. Some tracks are rather powerful, but there’s no real climax and that’s what this album is mainly missing.

Conclusion: I can imagine this is the kind of music that could be more successful played live instead of listening to the CD. It’s not bad, but definitely not transcendental.

Best songs: ”Claws And Teeth”, “Let The Wolves Inside”.

Rate: (6).

Band: www.ghostfeeder.com / www.facebook.com/Ghostfeeder

Label: www.distortionprod.com / www.facebook.com/distortionproductions

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

Freakangel have now launched the video footage of their full live download album “The Show Of Violence” (available via Bandcamp) on YouTube!

The concert was recorded at the Rockstar’s Club in the band’s very own city Tallinn – Estonia, and was filmed using 5 different cameras. You can watch the entire 11-track live set below.

The HQ audio from this concert can be downloaded from Bandcamp. Tip: use the discount code freakangel5237 and you’ll get 25% off on your basket – valid until the day before the official release on October 9, so be quick!

Freakangel is also planning some extra concerts in Europe:

• Oct 16, 2015 / Helsinki, FI – Bäkkäri
• Oct 30, 2015 / Moscow, RU – Rock House
• Oct 31, 2015 / St. Petersburg, RU – Zal Ozhidaniya
• Nov 12, 2015 / Paris, FR – Le Klub
• Nov 13, 2015 / Zofingen, CH – Oxil
• Nov 14, 2015 / Padua, IT – Grind House
• Nov 15, 2015 / Milan, IT – Club Rock’n’Roll

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

• Oct 16, 2015 / Helsinki, FI – Bäkkäri
• Oct 30, 2015 / Moscow, RU – Rock House
• Oct 31, 2015 / St. Petersburg, RU – Zal Ozhidaniya
• Nov 12, 2015 / Paris, FR – Le Klub
• Nov 13, 2015 / Zofingen, CH – Oxil
• Nov 14, 2015 / Padua, IT – Grind House
• Nov 15, 2015 / Milan, IT – Club Rock’n’Roll

Read the review of ‘The Show Of Violence’.

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: New-wave, post-punk.

Content: Salome’s Dance is a Russian band from the great city of St. Petersburg. I’d swear that I had just discovered a new hidden treasure from the 80s, but I was surprised this band has been set up a only few years ago.

The sound of Salome’s Dance has been defined as ‘death-rock’ and ‘positive punk’, but it will mainly appeal to new-wave lovers. This band perfectly emulates the truly spirit of the 80s new-wave music. I don’t want to compare them to any famous band from that golden decade, but the typical guitar playing and global arrangements sound like a move back into the past. It not only is about the music and inspiration, but the global production process smells like the good-old vinyl releases.

Most of the songs are powerful, but you also will discover the moody-like “Spectacle”, which is a cool cut in the ‘softer’ genre. The last songs reveal a kind of post-punk touch, which especially comes through on “Key”. This is a great old-school composition, which totally stands for the sound and influences of “Salome’s Dance”. I can’t say there are hits on this album, but “Percyvelle” and “Cyhret” both have a solid potential, which will for sure convince many listeners.

Conclusion: If you still are in the retro-vein of 80s new-wave music Salome’s Dance will probably catch your attention. This is a fully accomplished debut album and I can only encourage this band to move in a similar way.

Best songs: “Percyvelle”, “Cyhret”, “Speciale”.

Rate: (Elise Din:7)Elise Din.

Band: www.facebook.com/salomesdance

Label: www.infrastition.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Infrastition/150742551617246

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