Philipp Münch launched The Rorschach Garden project in the late 80s. More than 3 decades later, he continues to revisit this enduring passion, fueled by the magic of analog sounds and a deep affinity for retro Electro-Wave and Pop music. Münch’s dedication to vintage aesthetics and production techniques is evident, yet he skillfully reimagines these influences, creating a sound that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly modern. The album brims with pure nostalgia, with certain tracks and sounds evoking legends like Gary Numan and his contemporaries. Münch even pays homage to New-Wave icon and poet Anne Clark by offering a fresh reinterpretation of her classic “Sleeper In Metropolis”. While this record might not be the pinnacle of The Rorschach Garden‘s discography, it remains an undeniably engaging collection; an enchanting blend of ‘entertainment’ and ‘nostalgia’ that will delight long-time fans and newcomers alike. (Rating:7½).

Listen to “Twenty Billion Citizens”:

https://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/track/twenty-billion-citizens

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Wave, Minimal-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The Rorschach Garden is the Electro-Wave project driven for more than thirty years now by Philipp Münch. His newest opus features nine songs.

Content: “Stealth Black” is an album without true surprises, but bringing the 80s spirit of early electro-Wave and Minimal-Electro alive. Most of the songs have a danceable feeling and are carried by pure retro sound treatments. I also noticed a few ‘harder’ cuts carried by solid bass lines and EBM influences.

+ + + : This production is pure magic and that’s mainly because of the analogue sound treatments and effects. It creates a sound, which isn’t comparable with ‘average’ Electro-Pop formations. This is an authentic and powerful sound, which also comes back in the bass lines. This album is no surprise if you know The Rorschach Garden and yet it remains a fascinating production with vocals on top.

– – – : The ‘softest’ parts of the album -like “Blind Passenger” aren’t exactly the best exponents.

Conclusion: A great retro-Electro mix, which remains the trademark of this German project.

Best songs: “Stealth Black”, “Pour Le Progrès Et Le Future”, “The Process”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/TheRorschachGarden

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

The Rorschach Garden can be seen as an ‘old’ project. Set up in 1988 by Philipp Münch (Synapscape, Ars Moriendi, Mandelbrot, Rasputin ao) and joined throughout the years by different extra members, The Rorschach Garden has been also put on hold and next reactivated. Philipp Münch remains the single member on board. He this year released a new opus “We Are Vanishing” (Ant-Zen), which is a new exploration of retro-Electronics, getting us back to the golden years of Electro/Minimal-Wave music. I’d a chat with this prolific and talented artist.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The Rorschach Garden was originally set up in the late 80s. Several members joined in and left, the project was put on hold and reactivated. Can we speak about a turbulent history and how do you see The Rorschach Garden ano 2021?

Philipp: I would not speak about a turbulent history. Most of the time I was inspired and willing to do The Rorschach Garden, but there were times when there was nothing to say or to sing or other music was more important to me. So I announced the end of the project two or three times since I have no masterplan and most things are going to happen.
That was similar with my co- members. We had a good time doing this together, but after a while it was time to move on.

So in 2021 The Rorschach Garden is 33 years old. I do not need anything to prove anymore. If I’m inspired it’s a lot of joy to do this kind of music.

Q: Philipp, you’ve been involved with an endless list of bands/projects, but I always considered The Rorschach Garden  as something different. What does it mean to you and what makes the difference between this project and all the others?

Philipp: The Rorschach Garden always was and still is my musical diary. A blend of everything I notice and feel, of course in my own weird view. It is like a never ending journey. The longing to arrive is always there and gives it a bittersweet melancholic blend.

Also as a person I remain unfinished. I still oscillate between different states like young, old, male, female, tired, awake and so on. This is reflected in my music.

Q: Let’s talk about the new album “We Are Vanishing”. What did you try to express by the title and what kind of album did you want to accomplish sound-wise?

Philipp: The title is about my fascination for Autumn. I love falling leaves and the smell of rotting organics. Strong fog when everything is blurring engages my imagination. Yes, you can consider me as a romantic and of course I agree with gothic clichés. Back in the 80s I was a New-Wave guy. I still have this in my heart.
Originally this album was supposed to be released somewhere else, but we never really got into a proper way of communication. So I cancelled this when Stefan Alt (Ant-Zen) who also did the artwork, invited me to do it on his label. A vinyl edition would have been too much, so we made a CD album with 4 additional songs which were not on the original album.
Sure you hear my way of New-Wave/Synth-Pop. Some songs are a bit more modern, others very typical. I want it that way and since I’m not bound to success, why should I change this?

Q: How much of the early The Rorschach Garden do you still recognize in “We Are Vanishing” and how do you analyze the evolution of the project –versus your own evolution as musician/artist, throughout the years?

Philipp: In the early days The Rorschach Garden was not bound to New-Wave and Synth-Pop. I also did this, but also a lot of Experimental stuff. Also when I met friends to record some music, The Rorschach Garden was still my vehicle for things I wanted to do on my own. Since my Experimental strains got a home elsewhere, the song oriented styles remained. And yes, there is still something in it you also can find in my early times. Maybe I’m not that desperate anymore…

Q: I noticed more and more artists are getting back to the 80s, using analogue equipment/sounds to compose their music while even famous artists are again releasing their work on cassette format. What do you think about it all and how do you look back at this unique decade when it comes to music and the evolution of Electronic music?

Philipp: It’s good to see young people doing this in their way. The 80s were an intense decade with all the coldness, fear and paranoia. The end of the cold war, the fall of the iron curtain led to the 90s spirit of limitless freedom and life as an ongoing party. It was nice indeed, but those times are gone.
Also today we are aware of eminent major threads and we need to get along with it. So it is a plausible way to express feelings and emotions.

Analog equipment is very handy and I like it a lot, although I record my music into a DAW because it gives me flexibility and total recall. I would not swap that with a 4-track cassette recorder. It astounds me that people are paying insane prices for those. But it’s totally ok.
You can also have all those reissued or cloned analog synths. It never was that easy to dive into this kind of sound. Happy times.

Q: The ongoing pandemic and especially the quarantine has been inspiring and a very prolific period for a lot of artists. What has been the impact on your own work and activities? What did it change for you as musician and human being?

Philipp: It’s still difficult to play some shows and I’m happy to say ‘I had my times’. It is about time to respect the young generation and give the stage to them. I’m not in an urgent need to play on stage. Music will always be important to me like breathing or sleeping.I still feel a bit uncomfortable when I see crowds but I’m also happy to meet friends again. We will see where this all is leading to. Thank you for your questions!

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Wave, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Originally set up in 1988 by Philipp Münch and disabandoned in 1996, The Rorschach Garden was reactivated twenty years ago now. Münch is one of the most prolific artists from this scene I know; he has been involved with a countless number of projects (Synapscape being probably his most famous one) and now already strikes back with a new The Rorschach Garden album.

Content: The album features 14 songs, which sound in the classical retro-Electro line of the project. The easy recognizable analogue sound treatments bring the 80s Electro-Wave spirit back to life. The artist reminds us that he belongs to this legendary decade of early electronic music. Mixing a few EBM elements with mainly Electro-Wave/Pop, the songs mix danceable passages with pure space-atmospheres. The songs have been sung in English.

+ + + : I remain an absolute lover of good-old analogue sound treatments. Even if these sounds are pure old-school driven it always sounds magic because of the unique sound. And The Rorschach Garden has always been devoted to the good-old 80s spirit although it never has been an emulation. It remains a refreshing experience in sound although a bit cold and sterile, but enlightening. The album also reveals a few sonic pearls like the ‘harder’ “Concrete City Concrete Walls”, the soft “The Great Fog” and cold, danceable and melodic “Rattlesnake”, which clearly sounds like a potential hit.

– – – : The tracks are somewhat similar while this is not the most recommended album from this project, but in the end The Rorschach Garden will never disappoint you.

Conclusion: A cool retro-Electro sensation.

Best songs: “Rattlesnake”, “Concrete City Concrete Walls”, “The Great Fog”, “Things I Always Wanted To Do”, “A Means To A Start”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/TheRorschachGarden

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Wave, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Active since the late 80s, The Rorschach Garden always remained inspired and driven by good-old Electro-Wave. This EP features three ‘older’ songs plus an exclusive cut.

Content: The EP takes off with “Dangerous Strangers” originally released in 2008 at the compilation “20th Anniversary Gift” and perfectly symbolizing the sound of Philipp Münch. This is pure vintage Electro, which sounds sterile, but melodic. The vocals inject a warmer touch to the production. “Isolation” originally released in 2007 on the album “The Toy Factory” is a similar cut and another dancefloor track for 80s lovers. Both songs left –including the previously unreleased “Sometimes”, are shorter cuts.

+ + + : The EP doesn’t feature that much new material, but will be for sure become a collector’s item for Rorschach Garden fans. The sound remains refreshing, and especially authentic; no tricks and that much effects here, but simply the power and magic of analogue gear creating unique sound treatments. I like the mix of coldness and melodic tunes.

– – – : The single new cut “Sometimes” is nothing more than simply a B-side cut. It’s not exactly a bonus to this EP.

Conclusion: “Dangerous Isolation Site” reminds us of the magic of this old-school devoted Electro-Wave project.

Best songs: “Dangerous Strangers”, “Isolation”, “Holiday Site”.

Rate: 7½. 

Artist: www.facebook.com/TheRorschachGarden

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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-industrial.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Philipp Münch has been involved with an endless number of projects. From Ars Moriendi to Mandelbrot to Rasputin to The Rorschach Garden to Synapscape I here only enumerate some of his most famous projects. “Über Leben 3” sees the artist getting back to some 90s stuff; songs that were originally composed by Ars Moriendi, The Rorschach Garden and  Moata Omen got reworked by Phillipp Münch.

Content: The first track “Erste Liebe Neu” was originally composed by the Ars Moriendi gang and reworked by Münch into an electro-industrial approach featuring harsh, spooky vocals. The song is filled with an impressive number of noises and analogue sweeps. The 3 cuts left were originally written by The Rorschach Garden –while one was together with Moata Omen. As The Rorschach Garden was Philipp’s solo-project you in a way can say he remixed the original songs or simply reworked them in a different approach. It remains pretty industrial-like, but still darker than the original versions.

+ + + : I think this EP rather sounds as a production achieved during the lockdown, the artist revisiting some of his early compositions. But Philipp Münch also confirmed his natural talent to switch from one genre till another. He feels comfortable dealing with different projects and very different music styles. The way he reworked “The Drowning” has something visionary, but I also can mention the other Rorschach Garden track “No Story (Not At All)”, which is really sophisticated and yet pretty accessible. 

– – – : All I can say is that I personally prefer the original edits from The Rorschach Garden, but I’ve always been a huge fan of this retro-like project. The work doesn’t really bring anything new, but it’s fun!

Conclusion: When a prolific artist simply reworks some of his very own compositions, you get “Über Leben 3”. This is a cool intermezzo for more work by this musician.

Best songs: “No Story (Not At All)”, “The Drowning”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/philippmuench.de

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out on February 14th is the a tribute to The Legendary Pink Dots & The Tear Garden. “Love Notes to a Velvet Apocalypse” will feature over 18 renditions of some of their most well known and rare tracks. Note that the release will be offered 100% free of charge via Bandcamp.

The release is a collaboration between Coitus Interruptus Productions and Auricle Media and features a wide range of various artists and genres from around the world, such as post-punk, industrial, ambient and experimental. Contributing artists include: Chase Dobson and Curse Mackey, European Ghost, Dreamscape Invocation, Kill Shelter, Zeitmahl, The Present Moment, Broken Fabiola, The Rorschach Garden, Factice Factory, The Midnight Marionettes, The Strange Walls, Bioassay, Tearful Moon, DACID, Fluxion AD, Dead Receptors, Night Terrors, Sol Sirenn and Manufactura.

Coitus Interruptus Productions has released 3 tribute compilations in the past dedicated to Fad Gadget, Cabaret Voltaire and Klinik/Dive/ABC.

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.

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, electro-wave, EBM.

Background/Info: French label BOREDOMproduct last year released a surprising compilation/tribute to French pop icon Etienne Daho. They now strike back with a new tribute to one of France’s greatest and most legendary new-wave & electro band Martin Dupont. The band was active during the 80s and just as BOREDomproduct they were from Marseille. Notice by the way the album is available on different formats, from CD to vinyl to cassette and of course on digital platforms. It’s a fascinating tribute because next to some familiar label bands we also get other selected bands.

Bands: Celluloide, Happiness Project, Dekad, Neutral Lies, The Rorschach Garden, Cyborgdrive, Sweater With A Hood, TourdeForce, Auto-Immune, Müller Denscheidt, Makina Girgir.

Content: You don’t necessarily have to be that familiar with the work of Martin Dupont to enjoy this compilation. It’s a diversified work mixing different elements and I really appreciate the efforts of the selected bands to transpose the original versions into a very own adaptation. The least I can say is that Martin Dupont has inspired most of the selected formations.

+ + + : I already mentioned the diversity, but I also have to mention some great adaptations into EBM by Dekad, the typical bleeping electronics from Celluloide, another EBM approach by Auto-Immune (which was already featured on the Etienne Daho tribute), the electro-wave from Müller Denscheidt and Makina Girgir. There’s a fascinating twist between the different formations and their own interpretation of Martin Dupont.

– – – : Only the biggest fans of the band will maybe be disappointed. The original versions have this 80s magic you don’t necessarily find back on a tribute. But my only little regret is that a few bands didn’t really pay that much attention to the production of the vocals.

Conclusion: This tribute to Martin Dupont incited me to get back to the original songs I haven’t heard for years now. That’s also because I really enjoyed this tribute and I can only encourage BOREDOMproduct to move on… Kas Product could be an idea….

Best bands: Dekad, Müller Denscheidt, Makina Girgir, Celluloide, Neutral Lies.

Rate: (8).

Label: www.boredomproduct.online.fr / www.facebook.com/boredomproduct

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now is a tribute to the pioneering Marseille based cult act Martin Dupont. “Broken Memory: a tribute to Martin Dupont” is out on vinyl too (including a version with a bonus audio cassette) and can be ordered right now from the BOREDOMproduct label.

The 11-track tribute to this pioneer electronic band from Marseille includes tracks from Dekad, Neutral Lies, Celluloide, Happiness Project, Auto-Immune, The Rorschach Garden, TourdeForce, Makina GirGir, Cyborgdrive, Müller Denscheidt and Sweater With A Hood.

The special LP edition is now available, as well as a a limited vintage pack edition with an 8-track bonus audio cassette including additional covers by Opera Multi Steel, Tiramist, Le Cliché, Solemn Meant Walks, Edw+Marika Divita, The Grilled Chicken Legs Brittanny Style, Oberkorn and Culcultura.

Here are some visuals which we received:

And we also got hold of brand new teasers!

Audio preview:

Audio preview of the bonus cassette:

The teaser itself for 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.

side-line.com

Coming up in September is a tribute to the pioneering Marseille based cult act Martin Dupont. “Broken Memory: a tribute to Martin Dupont” will be out on vinyl too (including a version with a bonus audio cassette) and can be ordered right now from the BOREDOMproduct label.

The 11-track tribute to this pioneer electronic band from Marseille includes tracks from Dekad, Neutral Lies, Celluloide, Happiness Project, Auto-Immune, The Rorschach Garden, TourdeForce, Makina GirGir, Cyborgdrive, Müller Denscheidt and Sweater With A Hood.

The special LP edition is now available for preorder, as well as a a limited vintage pack edition with an 8-track bonus audio cassette including additional covers by Opera Multi Steel, Tiramist, Le Cliché, Solemn Meant Walks, Edw+Marika Divita, The Grilled Chicken Legs Brittanny Style, Oberkorn and Culcultura.

And we also got hold of a first teaser!

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.

side-line.com

Mecanica Records, originally a Mexican label, but now run from somewhere deep in the woods in Poland, has prepped a The Rorschach Garden compilation which holds tracks from out-of-print records released in the early 2000’s (“Flow of Life”, “Far Away from Paradise”, “State Protection”, “Motorcircle”, …) plus some rare and unreleased stuff. 21 tracks in total.

The CD comes in a limited edition of only 500 copies in a digipak with booklet. You can place your order right here.

Founded in 1988, The Rorschach Garden was the solo project of Philipp Münch, mainly known from his works as Synapscape. In 1997, he stopped the project due to personal reasons. The Rorschach Garden was reactivated in 2001, and made its first public appearance at the Maschinenfest 2002 festival in Aachen, Germany. Ever since, The Rorschach Garden has grown into a proper band with a steady lineup. Since its reactivation, the project has released 8 regular albums.

You can listen to an audio preview right below.

http://soundcloud.com/mecanica/rorschachgardendossier

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.

side-line.com