On May 26th, 2022 Andrew Fletcher, founding member of Depeche Mode, died, aged 60. Out via Timezone on November 25th is the Depeche Mode tribute compilation “6122 (To Andrew Fletcher of Depeche Mode)”. The compilation’s title contains the year Andrew Fletcher was born and the year he died.

The aim was to bring together different artists from different decades, old musical companions of “Fletch” as well as known artists across different genres and promising new bands who were influenced by Depeche Mode’s sound.

The 2CD set features artists from all kind of musical genres and 50% of all profits will be donated to a charity organisation for children in UK, and the Children’s Cancer Trust in Germany, who officially partners to the project. Behind this project we find Daniel Gierke of the act The Brute.

Here’s an idea what to get.

Here’s is the complete tracklist:

CD1

1. A Question of Time – The Brute :
2. Never Let Me Down Again – Watershed
3. In Your Room – Nightnight
4. Ice Machine – Renard feat. Mary Ann
5. Broken – Redeem
6. Stripped – Starlights Live
7. Little 15 – Atlantic Popes
8. The Sun And The Rainfall – Apsürde feat. Manoya
9. My Secret Garden – Cold Connection
10. It’s No Good – Oxic Inc. feat. De La Morte
11. Dream On – Roy Jones & Red Beat
12. Should Be Higher – The Rude Awakening
13. Somebody – Toal, The Brute, People Theatre
14. In Sympathy – Bon Harris
15. Heaven – Zentrum Ost 71

CD2

1. Enjoy The Silence – LeBen
2. Personal Jesus – Polly Scattergood
3. Wrong – Kirlian Camera
4. Policy of Truth – Rohn-Lederman
5. To Have and to Hold – Page Of Quire
6. Angel – Tom Meeloo
7. Somebody – Peter Rainman
8. The Sun And The Rainfall – Northern Kind
9. Photographic – Shelter
10. A Barrel of a Gun (El Presidente Peron Yeah John) – Carlos Peron
11. I Feel You – Tin Gun
12. I Feel Loved – Daniel Hall feat. Stephen Newton
13. Oberkorn (It’s a Small Town) – Electrogenetic by Gareth Jones
14. Clean – Neocoma
15. Breathe – The Brute feat. Rachel Delgado

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.

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Out now is the remix album “Human​:​Resurrection (The Remixes)” by Sydney (Australia) based electropop artist Daniel Hall / Emerge1. The remix album holds remixed tracks from his previous album “Human” plus 1 new single, “Resurrection”. It is the 16th full length studio album for Daniel Hall.

The collaborators on this remix album include Blaklight, The Brute, People Theatre, Beyond Border, ee:man, Patrik Kambo, All Star Motivator, Eric C Powell, Emerge 1, Isunray, Nature of Wires and DJ Dorian Rangel.

Note that the release is also available as a CD.

Here’s the new single.

And here is the track listing.

On a sidenote, The Brute who completed a cover version of Hall’s track “Feeling Low” will release the track itself as well as a single with an official video on July 1st 2022.

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.

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Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Pop-Rock.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: “Brute : One” is the debut album by the solo-project The Brute. Daniel Gierke drives the music project, which is based in Switzerland.

Content: The album is clearly inspired by the universe of Depeche Mode. I can’t say The Brute sounds like an emulation, but it rapidly appears to be a darker interpretation of the English masters of Electro-Pop. Guitar and electronics both reveal a more haunting performance, but the global atmosphere and even the way of singing is clearly evoking Depeche Mode.

+ + + : I like this dark and naughty approach of electronics mixed with guitar. It has something ghostlike, accentuated by Gierke’s deep, but charismatic timbre of voice. I especially recommend listening to the opening piece “Driving To You”, which is totally representative of this work and to the harder and more aggressive “And I Want You… (Extended)”, which is a great last track.

– – – : The connection with Depeche Mode is obviously running through the album from start till the end, however it sounds as a very personal interpretation.

Conclusion: “Brute : One” is a cool piece of music, which might catch the attention of a wider audience from Electro-Pop to Rock-Pop lovers.

Best songs: “And I Want You… (Extended)”, “Driving To You”, “This Is Not Me”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.thebrutemusic.com / www.facebook.com/TheBruteMusic

Label: www.timezone-records.com / www.facebook.com/plattenlabel.timezone

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Genre/Influences: EBM, Electro-Metal.

Format: Digital, 6 CD Box.

Background/Info: Swedish cult EBM formation Pouppée Fabrikk struck back earlier this year by the phenomenal and dynamic EBM album “Airmen”. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic the band couldn’t play live again and released this massive Box instead. EKM stands for ‘Electronics Kroppsmusik’, which is the name they used to define their music. Anthology refers to thirty years of Pouppée Fabrikk; songs that were originally composed in between 1989 and 2019. This impressive anthology features 94 songs; taken from their albums, EP’s, but still some exclusive remixes, live tracks, rehearsal edits and demo cuts. The fans get 42 exclusive songs!

Content: Pouppée Fabrikk can be easily defined as an EBM master; a band that left a trademark in EBM history. Often compared with bands like Nitzer Ebb and DAF for the straight forward and merciless EBM they later on injected guitar playing and Metal influences getting them closer to Die Krupps. But this anthology first of all reveals that Pouppée Fabrikk still has a very own sound DNA, the kind of band that you instantly recognize for their solid bass lines, dark and disturbing sphere, heavy rhythmic and deep growls. But Pouppée Fabrikk also had something pretty Punk-like.

This Box is a way to get back to early and essential albums “Rage” and “Portent” plus the first EP’s “Summoning” and “Betrayal”, pure and unpolished, raw EBM with a Punk attitude. The next releases “We Have Come To Drop Bombs”, “Djävulen” and “Your Pain – Our Gain” revealed a sound in evolution; EBM getting mixed with furious guitar riffs becoming more Metal-like. The album “The Dirt” released in 2013 was a kind of move back to the roots.

Songs from later EP’s like “I Want Candy”, “Elite Electronics”, “Bring Back The Ways Of Old” and “H8 U” have been featured as well. Most of the exclusive songs are demo edits from some of their most famous tracks, but also exclusive remixes by Plastic Noise Experience, Nexus Kenosis and Angst, next to other remixes by Spetsnaz, Blush Response, Kant Kino, Aesthetische, Autodafeh and Polyfuse. And you’ll discover some live recordings from the early years; from 1989, 1991 and 1994.

+ + + : No need to say this Box is an absolute must have for the Pouppée Fabrikk fans. It’s a complete anthology getting us back to the band’s greatest hits, but still an opportunity to discover numerous exclusive songs. This legendary band deserves such an artistic box. The work also is an opportunity to see how the band evolved throughout the years; from the brute and unpolished “Rage” to the more accomplished “Portent” to the Punkish “We Have Come to Drop Bombs” to the Metal-orientated “Djavülen” and “Your Pain Our Gain” to the move back to EBM “The Dirt” while reminding us of essential EP’s like “Summoning”, “Betrayal” and “I Want Candy”. Pouppée Fabrikk is not just EBM, it’s a band with a very own and easy recognizable sound. Probably one of the darkest and hardest retro-EBM bands. 2020 has been the year of Pouppée Fabrikk! We first get this great new album “Armén” featuring core members Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, Leif Holm and Jouni Ollila working back together, but now there’s this great retrospective. It’s also interesting to know your favorite Pouppée Fabrikk song; mine will always be “Die Jugend” from the EP “Summoning”. Among the multiple remixes, I’ll mention the great job done by Autodafeh remixing “Bring Back The Ways Of Old”, originally released on the same-titled EP. 

– – – : The less convincing part of the work is the live recordings; the songs were previously unreleased, but unfortunately suffering from a poor sound quality.

Conclusion: There’s no better way resuming this album –and the entire work of Pouppée Fabrikk, than the title of their debut album: Rage!

Best songs: “Die Jugend”, “Retrospect”, “T.O.D.N.”, “Keine Zukunft”, “Summon The Spirits”, “Where Are You?”, “Bring Back The Ways Of Old – Autodafeh Remix”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Pouppée-Fabrikk-100329766260

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

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