Berlin’s avant-garde industrial band Lolita Terrorist Sounds has unveiled a new collaborative art-video with Berlin Wall artist Kiddy Citny. The collaboration, an art-video for the track “Living-in-glory”, merges Citny’s live painting performance with the experimental sound of the band.

Kiddy Citny, whose 3.6-meter-high painted heads on the Berlin Wall became iconic in 1985, joined forces with the band after a chance meeting in a Berlin train station last year. “This video is the visual translation of our most experimental track,” said band leader Maurizio Vitale. “It was captured in Kiddy’s Berlin atelier.”

“Living-in-glory” is the closing track from the debut album “St. Lola”. It combines meditative drone music, ASMR, and industrial sounds, recorded in an unconventional studio on Dresdener Strasse, once part of the Berlin Wall strip. Field recordings from the former East German secret service building also feature prominently in the piece.

Kiddy Citny expressed his admiration for the collaboration: “Creating this piece with Lolita Terrorist Sounds was an inspiring process. The sound and historical context gave my painting an exceptional energy.”

You can view the art-video below.

Lolita Terrorist Sounds / Kiddy Citny European Tour

Following this collaboration, Lolita Terrorist Sounds will embark on a European tour, performing in Berlin, Poznań, Warsaw, and Prague this October. Joining the line-up is drummer Kian Kiesling.

• Berlin: 22.10 – Hinterraum
• Poznań: 23.10 – CK Nowe Amore
• Warsaw: 24.10 – Chmury
• Prague: 29.10 – Café V lese

About Lolita Terrorist Sounds and Kiddy Citny

Founded by Maurizio Vitale, Lolita Terrorist Sounds has collaborated with members of bands like Einstürzende Neubauten, Iggy Pop, and PJ Harvey. The band’s provocative name stems from a fusion of Nabokov’s Lolita and the use of cut-up techniques inspired by William Burroughs. A debut album “St. Lola” was released in 2023.

Kiddy Citny is a German artist best known for his iconic paintings on the Berlin Wall in 1985. His work, characterized by his 3.6-meter-high heads, became world-famous through tourist photos and postcards. Citny’s art is part of collections at institutions like MoMA in New York.

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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Laibach has released the two-track single, “Opus Dei Live 1987 – 1989 pt.1”, featuring two unreleased live recordings: “Leben heisst Leben (Opus Dei)” live from London, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 1987 and “F.I.A.T. (Let It Be)” live from Paris, Espace Ornano, 1992.

Both tracks are taken from the expanded edition of their 1987 album, “Opus Dei”, which is set to be released digitally on Mute on May 10, 2024 and on vinyl and as a 2CD box set on May 24, 2024. Additionally, the CD features 16 unreleased live tracks from 1987-1989 and 3 bonus tracks (which includes two that were previously unreleased).

The two-track single is accompanied by the below video of “Opus Dei (Life is Life)”, cut from live footage of Goran Gajić’s 1988 film “Pobeda pod suncem”, filmed in Belgrade, Münich, and Ljubljana.

“Opus Dei” was the band’s first album for Mute, and was mixed by Rico Conning (Wire, Pere Ubu, Swans, William Orbit) and opened up opportunities for the Slovenian collective to launch a first world tour. The re-release comes with a redesigned cover plus an extensive booklet with photographs, artwork inspired by the German anti-fascist visual artist John Heartfield, and new sleeve notes by the cultural theorist and author Alexei Monroe.

Laibach’s “Opus Dei (Remastered)” is out on Mute on vinyl (with 16-page booklet), 2CD box set (with 28-page booklet) on May 24, 2024 and digitally on May 10, 2024.

Bonus tracks on CD1

1. Geburt einer Nation (Eine Richtung und ein Volk Version)
2. Leben heisst Leben (Marche Funèbre Version)
3. Geburt einer Nation (3. Oktober – Kraftbach – Version)

CD2

1. Leben heisst Leben (London, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 1987)
2. Geburt einer Nation (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
3. Leben-Tod (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
4. F.I.A.T. (Paris, Espace Ornano, 1992)
5. Transnational (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
6. How the West Was Won (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
7. Opus Dei (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
8. Leben heisst Leben (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
9. Geburt einer Nation (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
10. Leben – Tod (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
11. How the West Was Won (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
12. Geburt einer Nation (Vienna, Messepalast, Kaiser Franz Josef Reitschule, 1988)
13. Leben – Tod (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
14. Transnational (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
15. How the West Was Won (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
16. Opus Dei (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)

Laibach – Opus Dei Tour

• 5/14/2024 – Winterthur, Gaswerk Kulturzentrum, CH
• 5/15/2024 – Frankfurt, Batschkapp, DE
• 5/16/2024 – Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt, DE
• 5/17/2024 – Copenhagen, Pumpehuset, DK
• 5/18/2024 – Gothenburg, Pustervik, SE
• 5/19/2024 – Stockholm, Nya Cirkus, SE
• 5/21/2024 – Helsinki, Savoy Theatre, FI
• 5/23/2024 – Oslo, Vulkan, NO
• 5/25/2024 – Cologne, Essigfabrik, DE
• 5/26/2024 – Dresden, Kultur Zentrum Strasse E, DE
• 5/27/2024 – Torun, CKK Jordanki, PL
• 5/28/2024 – Lublin, Radio Lublin, PL
• 5/29/2024 – Graz, Orpheum Big Hall, AT
• 7/3/2024 – Munich, Muffathalle, DE
• 7/4/2024 – Schorndorf, Manufaktur, DE
• 7/6/2024 – Halle, East Side Festival, DE
• 8/9/2024 – Jaromer, Brutal Assault Festival, CZ
• 10/5/2024 – Zagreb, Boogaloo, HR
• 10/11/2024- Budapest, Dürer Kert, HU
• 10/12/2024 – Leipzig, Felsenkeller, DE
• 10/13/2024 – Prague, Roxy, CZ
• 10/15/2024 – Dordrecht, Bibelot, NL
• 10/16/2024 – Arnhem, Luxor, NL
• 10/17/2024 – Vauréal, Le Forum 2, FR
• 10/18/2024 – Toulouse, Le Rex, FR
• 10/19/2024 – Wavre, La Sucrerie, BE
• 10/20/2024 – Bochum, Christuskirche, DE
• 10/22/2024 – Hannover, Music Pavillion, DE

Side-Line also covered Laibach’s ‘Opus Dei Revisited’.

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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(Photo by Andy Catlin – Ljubljana) Laibach has announced a remastered and redesigned edition of their 1987 album, “Opus Dei”, scheduled for release on Mute on May 10, 2024. This edition will be available on vinyl and as a 2CD box set. It includes 16 previously unreleased live tracks from 1987-1989 and three bonus tracks.

A new video has been released, featuring edits from “Victory Under the Sun” (Pobeda pod suncem), directed by Goran Gajić in 1988, for the remastered version of “The Great Seal”. Watch it below.

“Opus Dei”, Laibach’s debut album with Mute, was originally mixed by Rico Conning, known for his work with Wire, Pere Ubu, Swans, and William Orbit. The album includes Laibach’s interpretations of Opus’ “Live Is Life” (rendered in English as “Opus Dei” and in German as “Leben heisst Leben”) and Queen’s “One Vision” (reimagined as “Geburt Einer Nation”), propelling the band into the limelight with support from MTV and ITV’s The Chart Show. The mainstream exposure and memorable music press features led to their first world tour, with performances from London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, San Francisco, Berlin, Paris, and various locations across Europe included on the second CD of this expanded edition.

The remastered edition boasts a redesigned cover that enhances the original artwork, an extensive booklet filled with photographs and artwork inspired by German anti-fascist artist John Heartfield, and new sleeve notes by cultural theorist Alexei Monroe.

Formed in the year of Yugoslavian founding father Tito’s death, the band faced censorship and bans in Yugoslavia before releasing “Opus Dei”. They embarked on the Occupied Europe Tour, appeared in Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket”, recorded a Peel Session for the BBC, and performed in Michael Clark’s dance production “No Fire Escape from Hell”.

The band have also recently announced ongoing diplomatic negotiations for a performance in Tehran of “Alamut”, a collaborative symphonic work with Iranian composers and performers. A very weird choice given the geopolitical tensions, just like their concert in North Korea.

In April 2024, Laibach will perform their score for a new theatrical production of Bertolt Brecht’s “Saint Joan of the Stockyards” by ErosAntEros, with performances in Bologna and Ravenna.

“Opus Dei (Remastered)” by Laibach will be available on Mute in various formats, including vinyl with a 16-page booklet, a 2CD box set with a 28-page booklet, and digitally, on May 10, 2024.

Tracklist of the CD:

CD1

1. Leben heisst Leben (Opus Dei)
2. Geburt einer Nation (One Vision)
3. Leben – Tod
4. F.I.A.T. (Let It Be)
5. Transnational
6. How the West Was Won
7. Opus Dei (Life is Life)
8. The Great Seal

Bonus tracks:

1. Geburt einer Nation (Eine Richtung und ein Volk Version)
2. Leben heisst Leben (Marche Funèbre Version)
3. Geburt einer Nation (3. Oktober – Kraftbach – Version)

CD2

1. Leben heisst Leben (London, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 1987)
2. Geburt einer Nation (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
3. Leben-Tod (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
4. F.I.A.T. (Paris, Espace Ornano, 1992)
5. Transnational (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
6. How the West Was Won (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
7. Opus Dei (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
8. Leben heisst Leben (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
9. Geburt einer Nation (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
10. Leben – Tod (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
11. How the West Was Won (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
12. Geburt einer Nation (Vienna, Messepalast, Kaiser Franz Josef Reitschule, 1988)
13. Leben – Tod (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
14. Transnational (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
15. How the West Was Won (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
16. Opus Dei (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)

Laibach ‘Opus Dei’ Tour

• 14 May – Winterthur, Gaswerk Kulturzentrum, CH
• 15 May – Frankfurt, Batschkapp, DE
• 16 May – Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt, DE
• 17 May – Copenhagen, Pumpehuset, DK
• 18 May – Gothenburg, Pustervik, SE
• 19 May – Stockholm, Nya Cirkus, SE
• 21 May – Helsinki, Savoy Theatre, FI
• 23 May – Oslo, Vulkan, NO
• 25 May – Cologne, Essigfabrik, DE
• 26 May – Dresden, Kultur Zentrum Strasse E, DE
• 27 May – Torun, CKK Jordanki, PL
• 28 May – Lublin, Radio Lublin, PL
• 29 May – Graz, Orpheum Big Hall, AT
• 03 July – Munich, Muffathalle, DE
• 04 July – Schorndorf, Manufaktur, DE
• 06 July – Halle, East Side Festival, DE
• 09 Aug – Jaromer, Brutal Assault Festival, CZ
• 05 Oct – Zagreb, Boogaloo, HR
• 11 Oct – Budapest, Dürer Kert, HU
• 12 Oct – Leipzig, Felsenkeller, DE
• 13 Oct – Prague, Roxy, CZ
• 15 Oct – Dordrecht, Bibelot, NL
• 16 Oct – Arnhem, Luxor, NL
• 17 Oct – Vauréal, Le Forum 2, FR
• 18 Oct – Toulouse, Le Rex, FR
• 19 Oct – Wavre, La Sucrerie, BE
• 20 Oct – Bochum, Christuskirche, DE
• 22 Oct – Hannover, Music Pavillion, DE

Side-Line also covered Laibach’s ‘Opus Dei Live 1987-1989 PT. 1’.

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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“House of Cards” is the debut solo single from singer and songwriter Isaac Howlett, best known as the voice and driving force behind the British synth-pop band Empathy Test. The group have issued three albums, the most recent of which is “Monsters” (2020).

The single, out via the Terrifying Tiger label, confronts the brutal reality but eventual relief of escaping a toxic relationship. The single is the first taste of Howlett’s solo material.

Howlett will be performing “House of Cards” as part of the Empathy Test live set on their forthcoming 10th Anniversary European Tour in March and April 2024.

Empathy Test tour dates

• 01.03.24 Copenhagen (Dk) Rust Natklub
• 02.03.24 Helsingborg (Se) Charles Dickens Bar & Scen
• 08.03.24 Bremen (De) Lagerhaus
• 09.03.24 Hamburg (De) Markthalle
• 10.03.24 Köln (De) Helios 37
• 15.03.24 Munich (De) Backstage Halle
• 16.03.24 Lindau (De) Club Vaudeville
• 22.03.24 Hannover (De) Musikzentrum
• 23.03.24 Dresden (De) Reithalle Strasse E
• 27.03.24 Nürnberg (De) Die Cult
• 28.03.24 Jena (De) F-Haus
• 29.03.24 Berlin (De) Columbia Theater
• 30.03.24 Oberhausen (De) Kulttempel
• 31.03.24 Frankfurt (De) Das Bett
• 04.04.24 Manchester (Uk) Rebellion
• 05.04.24 Glasgow (Uk) Classic Grand
• 06.04.24 Bristol (Uk) Dareshack
• 07.04.24 Nuneaton (Uk) Queens Hall
• 10.04.24 Nottingham (Uk) The Chapel
• 11.04.24 Newcastle (Uk) Cluny 2
• 12.04.24 Sheffield (Uk) Corporation
• 13.04.24 London (Uk) Garage

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

Out now via the Luminol Grammofon label is the Ryden (Strasse) single “The Ghost”. The single was produced by Kenneth Magnusson at Pekoralfabriken

Russ Ryden, real name Rustan Rydén, is a Swedish musician, composer and lyricist (born February 11, 1960) who in 1978 started the new wave group Strasse together with Kaj Zack. The song “Den hotfulla kärleken” was one of the first Strasse songs to gain some attention in 1981. With Strasse, Ryden has worked with musicians such as Midge Ure and Mike Garson. In 1985 he released the single “Rock The Night Away”.

Together with guitarist Max Abbey, as the duo Great Guns, they released the single “Walk Me Through The Storm” in 1987. In 1989, the single “Midnight Angel” was released under the pseudonym Bonowa Beat. Ryden and Abbey continued as Strasse in the 2000s with musician Charlie Storm, releasing the albums “Transylvanian Flower” in 2005 and “Half Past Animal” in 2009. In the summer of 2012, Ryden released the EP “Repercutio”, in 2017 the single “The Devil​´​s Work”, and in 2018 the album “Nightshifter”.

You can check the new single below.

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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(Photo by Roger op den Camp) Laibach has announced the first piece of an 8-track EP due out January 20 before the Slovenian collective embark on “The Coming Race” tour later this month. A vinyl edition will follow on March 3.

The “Love Is Still Alive” EP tracks the survivors’ journey through our solar system, and this trip is also a journey through some of the more “space” music genres of recent decades. The EP is an extension of music created for the film “Iron Sky – The Coming Race” (directed by Timo Vuorensola, 2019). Laibach’s music for “Iron Sky – The Coming Race” is (finally!) scheduled for release in 2023, alongside a specially created video game.

Here’s what the band says about the track’s concept: “This is the dawn of the third millennium of Mankind. The planet Earth, which we once knew as our home, is now nothing but a dead rock floating in space, destroyed by wars, pandemics, and all the evil that men do. So is the Moon, which once served as the stepping-stone into the vast universe, but later turned into a refuge for the last of us. Now, the remnants of mankind are hurling across the Universe on a single spacecraft, carrying the lucky few, saved from annihilation. They are heading for Mars, where all life once originated. They might have lost their history and their planet, but as long as they have a glimmer of hope and a guiding red light shining in the darkness, they will boldly go where no one has gone before – as long as love is still alive.”

Watch the video for “Love Is Still Alive I (Moon, Euphoria)” below.

Here’s the tracklisting for the “Love Is Still Alive” EP

1. Love Is Still Alive I (Moon, Euphoria)
2. Love Is Still Alive II (Venus, Libidine)
3. Love Is Still Alive III (Mercury, Dopamine)
4. Love Is Still Alive IV (Neptune, Oxytocin)
5. Love Is Still Alive V (Uranus, Prolactin)
6. Love Is Still Alive VI (Saturn, Insomnia)
7. Love Is Still Alive VII (Jupiter, Tristitia)
8. Love Is Still Alive VIII (Mars, Dysphoria)

Laibach – “The Coming Race” tour

• October 26 – Ludwigshafen, Germany – Pfalzbau
• October 27 – Schorndorf, Germany – Club Manufaktur
• October 28 – Prague, Czech Republic – Palac Akropolis
• October 29 – Bochum, Germany – Christuskirche
• October 30 – Arnhem, Netherlands – Luxor Live
• November 2 – Gdansk, Poland – B90
• November 3 – Krakow, Poland – Klub Kwadrat
• November 4 – Dresden, Germany – Kulturzentrum Strasse E
• November 5 – Budapest, Hungary – A 38
• January 23 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Les Docks
• January 24 – Rostock, Germany – Nikolaikirche
• January 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Bremen Teater
• January 26 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Pustervik
• January 28 – Helsinki, Finland – Savoy Theatre
• January 29 – Tallinn, Estonia – Vaba Lava
• January 31 – Stockholm, Sweden – Lilla Cirkus
• February 1 – Oslo, Norway – Marmorsalen
• February 2 – Aarhus, Denmark – VoxHall
• February 3 – Berlin, Germany – Astra
• February 4 – Leipzig, Germany – Schauspiel
• February 6 – Munich, Germany – Muffathalle

Side-Line also covered Laibach’s ‘The Future’.

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: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Thomas Rainer took the Nachtmahr fanbase by surprise in 2020, releasing the Neo-Folk driven “Flamme”-album whereon he revisited some classical songs of his sonic brainchild. “Stellungskrieg” was introduced by the EP’s “Beweg Dich!” and “Die Strasse”, which clearly sounded like moving back to the original sound of the Austrian ‘Tanzdiktator’!

Content: No real surprises on “Stellungskrieg”! Thomas Rainer gets back to the familiar sound and style of Nachtmahr. From the 10 songs there’s only one single piece, which comes as a kind of intermezzo and more appeals for L’Âme Immortelle fans. The other tracks are pure harshness; bouncing beats, which sometimes evolves into Industrial kicks mixes with aggressive vocals and melodic choruses. I also notice a few instrumental edits where the vocals have been replaced by spoken samplings.

+ + + : The “Flamme”-album was an atypical release and probably the biggest challenge ever of the Nachtmahr project. “Stellungskrieg” moves back to the essence of the project; a hard, danceable sound carried by strong leads and melodies –Rainer remains a true melody maker, while driven by furious beats. When discovering the album, you rapidly know why “Beweg Dich!” and “Die Strasse” were previously released as EP title songs. Both cuts stand for the best of Nachtmahr. I however also want to mention “Geister” for its heavy orchestral arrangements.

– – – : “Dunkle Wasser” is the single cut, which can’t totally convince; it rather sounds as a dismissed L’Âme Immortelle piece. The image of this project remains a controversial point… but better to have a controversial image instead of none!

Conclusion: There’s enough stuff on this album to set dancefloors on fire.

Best songs: “Die Strasse”, “Beweg Dich!”, “Geister”, “Nicht Wie Sie”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/nachtmahr.band

Label: www.trisol.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Trisol-Music-Group/104166526285471

About Nachtmahr

Nachtmahr is the Austrian industrial and electronic project founded by Thomas Rainer in 2007. Rainer, who also fronts L’Âme Immortelle, started Nachtmahr as an outlet for his harsher material, built on hard beats, distorted vocals and militaristic imagery.

The debut EP “Kunst ist Krieg” appeared in 2007, followed by “Feuer Frei” in 2008, “Alle Lust Will Ewigkeit” in 2009 and “Semper Fidelis” in 2010. The mini-album “Mädchen in Uniform” was reissued as a picture vinyl limited to 500 copies in 2019.

“Flamme” arrived in January 2020 and revisited earlier Nachtmahr songs in a neo-folk setting. “Stellungskrieg” followed on Trisol in 2021, introduced by the EPs “Beweg Dich!” and “Die Strasse”. Rainer announced the album “Verboten!” and a German tour in September 2024.

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

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Tatra Records, Pitch Black Drive pressrelease) Apoptygma Berzerk have been very active in the recent years, and in 2016 we saw the release of the instrumental album “Exit Popularity Contest”, a hommage to Stephan Groths musical heroes and inspirations. Between doing remixes for Machinista, Peter Heppner and Page, APOP have also been playing concerts and festivals every year.

In 2018 APOP amazed everybody with the fantastic 25th Anniversary of their debut album, “Soli Deo Gloria”, and the reworked album “SDGXXV” that accompanied it, filled to the brim with legendary artists from the electronic scene doing stunning reworks of the old APOP classics!

The analogue instrumental album and the work with classic electronic artists inspired APOP to take the analogue sound into their traditional “pop” songs, enhancing them with the golden sound of electronic pop from the late 70’s and early 80’s, while also wrapping them in an electronic blanket covering your aural senses like a comfortable shroud.

Now the time has come for a new release in the form of an EP titled “Nein Danke!”.  It includes three brand new tracks; “Atom & Eve”, “A Battle For The Crown” and “Soma Coma”, and also several remixes, giving a total of seven tracks.
Estimated release date: end of September 2019.
Formats: CD EP, 12” EP and Digital EP

The teaser for the EP can be heard now from iTunes, Spotify, Tidal etc., and the tracks may also be purchased in high quality from Bandcamp!

PS! Don’t miss out on the following live dates if you’re able to attend!

August 15: Hannover (Capitol) (DE)
August 16: Dresden (Reithalle Strasse E) (DE)
August 17: Köln (Essigfabrik) (DE)
August 18: W-Festival / Waregem (BE)
August 24: Oslo (Parkteatret) (NO)
October 26: DarkMad Festival / Madrid/Pinto (ES)

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

Coming up is a brand new mega boxset by the true pioneers of ambient and electronic music, Tangerine Dream: “In Search of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973 – 1979”. The boxset holds 16 CDs and 2 Blu-Ray discs and can be ordered right now.

Content

8 of the 16 CDs and the 2 Blu-Rays hold previously unreleased audio and video content. The whole is completed with a 68-page hard-back book containing a new essay and unseen photographs. The sleeve notes were written by renowned Dutch writer and TD expert Wouter Bessels and furthermore include quotes from Edgar Froese and Steve Joliffe, plus contributions by Steven Wilson.

The albums “Phaedra”, “Rubycon”, “Ricochet”, “Stratosfear”, “Encore”, “Cyclone” and “Force Majeure” are all present in newly remastered stereo taken from the original first-generation master tapes. The 2 Blu-Ray discs feature new 5.1 surround sound versions of “Phaedra”, “Ricochet” and the full soundtrack to “Oedipus Tyrannus” – all mixed by musician/producer Steven Wilson. Also included on the Blu-Ray set is the surviving 35-minute footage of the BBC’s Tangerine Dream concert at Coventry Cathedral, and the previously unreleased full German television documentary “Signale aus der Schwäbischen Strasse”, which features Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Peter Baumann performing live, plus interviews with the band, John Peel and Richard Branson.

Further stereo audio content featured are full concerts at The Victoria Palace Theatre, London, The Rainbow Theatre, London and the Royal Albert Hall, London, plus an audio-only version of the BBC Coventry Cathedral concert. Last but not least are two CDs of stereo out-takes from the “Phaedra” sessions at The Manor Studios, Oxfordshire.

Complete tracklist

The complete mega setlist (which is enormous) can, be viewed here. You can order this mega set box right now.

Stream unreleased track + artwork

You can stream a first unreleased track below: “Act 2: Baroque”.

The artwork of the album.

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. All photos by Krichan Wihlborg, Underground Photo)

A week after their successful concert at the Brewhouse in Gothenburg, Apoptygma Berzerk announces their return to an Oslo venue for the first time in over ten years! And it’ll be a full night of music – as their special guest they’ll bring Vile Electrodes over from the UK, who also will support Apop on some of the German dates in 2019.
DJ Alex Tjore will fill our ears between the bands with a special DJ set consisting of the best electronic tunes from the golden era of 1977-1984, so proper dancing footwear would be smart to consider.

On behalf of the APB Crew, Per Aksel Lundgreen elaborates:

Norway has never been the main market for Apoptygma Berzerk, that’s been mostly Germany and the US, but in recent years Sweden has gained more and more attention, and interest has been enormous there. After massive pressure and over 100 (!) Norwegians attending the concert in Gothenburg, we realized that it was time to take a trip home again! There’s nothing that would have pleased us more than regularly playing in Norway, but there’s considerations to be made when the choice is between playing for 3,500 people in Oberhausen or 200 people in Bergen – it’s about the economy in it as well as maintaining a market.

The plan is also to be able to do more concerts in Sweden in the future, and also in England, which is also an important market for APOP. Unfortunately we’ve been cut off with a few gigs in London and a couple of festivals in recent years.

Many from the United States also wonder when we get there, and as it is now with processing time and costs for work visa to the states, we must simply prioritize a new album before we even begin to think about the red tape over there! We really want to come over and play, but these days all time, energy and money are going into the new album that is already way overdue! It is 2 years since the last album, “Exit Popularity Contest”, and we must prioritize studio time.

Next for Apop is the “SDGXXV EP” coming in December (only digitally), and “SDGXXV” 2xLP/CD/MC/digital March next year as a sequel to “Soli Deo Gloria (25th Anniversary Edition)” (Lo-Fi Merchandise for Europe (CD | LP) and Storming The Base for Canada/USA). So there’s little rest nowadays, we’re constantly working like crazy, and there’ll be a lot to look forward for all APOP fans! 🙂

The gig will be held at Parkteateret, Oslo, August 24th 2019 – get your tickets here!

The following dates are also booked for Apoptygma Berzerk concerts in 2019:
– 16th. March – Oberhausen (E-Tropolis Festival) (Germany)
– 15th. August – Hannover (Capitol) (Germany)
– 16th. August – Dresden (Strasse E / Reithalle) (Germany)
– 17th. August – Cologne (Essigfabrik) (Germany)
– 18th. August – Waregem (W-Festival (Belgium) (Germany)

Meanwhile we can join in the chant 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

Background/Info:

About Dorsetshire

Dorsetshire is a German electro-gothic and dark-pop band formed in 1992 that disbanded in 1998. Side-Line reported on the group’s comeback in March 2017, when the announcement followed a 21-year gap since the band’s previous album, “Beast.” “Timemachine,” reviewed here, is Dorsetshire’s first release since reforming, issued through Danse Macabre.

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

We informed you a while back that the German label Emmo.biz Records was to close its doors. The Oelsnitz based label is run by Jörg Freier and was founded in 2012. The label harboured releases for bands like Leæther Strip, Harmjoy, NZ, Frontal and MRDTC.

The label has now started a massive sale to clear its stocks, and you can definitely speak of a true sale with releases being sold for as less as 4,99 Euro!

We talked with Jörg Freier to learn some more about his decision to stop the label. Jörg: “I already have another business for the past 3 years: a butcher shop. That shop requires a lot of my time. As a result I didn’t find time enough to run two business. It made me realise I can’t help ‘my bands’ enough in our music business.”

The german Label Kompuphonik Music will take some part of the label and distribution, but the webshop www.emmo.biz will be closed by the end of this year.

We wish Jörg all the best in his new professional ‘meat endeavour’ ‘Fleisch und Wurstwaren Jörg Freier‘ located at the Kammerrat Beck Strasse 8 in Oelsnitz, Sachsen, Germany!

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