(Photo by Radka Leitmeritz) Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes and British artist and singer/violinist Wendy Bevan have released the third installment of their four part Astronomia project “Astronomia III: heaven and hell in the serpent’s tail”. Ahead of the release, the pair have shared the album’s opening track “Meteor Shower” which you can check below.

Over the course of 2020, the duo collaborated on a series of 52 cinematic instrumentals inspired by the universe. These works are presented across four 13-track, individually named albums, as the Astronomia project. The first release “The Fall of Saturn” was on the Spring Equinox (March 20), the second; “The Rise Of Lyra” on the Summer Solstice (June 21) and this third release falls on the Autumn Equinox (September 22). The final installment will be released on the Winter Solstice (December 21).

In related news, today, Duran Duran will reveal their new track “Tonight United”, produced by the band alongside the Italian producer Giorgio Moroder. It’s the fourth song to be taken from their fifteenth studio album, “Future Past” to be released on October 22 via Tape Modern for BMG.

For now, here’s “Meteor Shower”.

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 second album by the duo consisting of Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes and British artist and singer/violinist Wendy Bevan who started working together in 2018, Wendy in Los Angeles and Nick in London. Titled “Astronomia II: The rise of Lyra” the album has been released via Tape Modern, the record label founded by Stephen Duffy and Nick Rhodes in 2002.

Over the past twelve months, the duo have collaborated on a series of 52 cinematic instrumentals inspired by the Universe. These works will be presented across four 13-track, individually named albums, as the Astronomia project. The first release “The Fall of Saturn” was released on the Spring Equinox (March 20, 2021) and “The Rise of Lyra” will be followed by two further records, released on the Autumn equinox and Winter solstice of this year.

A real lifeline

As it happens, the recording sessions for both artists confined to their houses in London and Los Angeles did also help them cope with the lockdown.

Nick Rhodes: “Throughout the last year, writing and recording the Astronomia compositions was a real lifeline for Wendy and I, it gave us both a sense of purpose during the bleak times and it became our diary echoing every mood and feeling we had as the days passed by. Being freed from all rules and conventions of traditional song writing was entirely liberating. Without restrictions we were able expand our horizons and we still have not reached the boundaries. It is thrilling to start with a blank canvas, no sketch at all and just see where the notes and sounds lead you.”

Wendy Bevan: “Just like Nick says, Astronomia became a lifeline for both of us during the lockdown. It allowed me to have a space for my emotions to flow into music, a sacred space to create my own universe, with endless freedom. We had no boundaries. It took me away from the reality of what was happening in the world during the pandemic and gave me a sense of hope. When Nick and I started Astronomia we had no idea of the vast amount of music we would create. Notes kept flowing in response to the situation we found ourselves in, it became a parallel universe with its own unique language, drama and elegance, far, far away from reality.”

You can check out the first 2 releases in the series 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.

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The French label Unknown Pleasures Records, run by Pedro Peñas y Roble aka HIV+, stops its activities this summer. They are currently emptying their last stocks before closing for good. The label which started in 2013 was based in the south of France was dedicated to the production of material from the post-punk, minimal wave and EBM scene. Their final release is a Tribute to Death In June.

In the past the label has released albums of bands like Norma Loy, David Carretta, Blind Delon, Adan & Ilse, Hausfrau, Black Egg, European Ghost, Ono Scream, Antipole, Kill Shelter, Vogue Noir, Ohota, Wendy Bevan, Alek Drive, Art Kinder Industrie, Baroque, Maman Küsters, Japan Suicide, Follow Me Not, Der Himmel über Berlin, Dave Inox, Mr Nô, None, Velvet Kills, Selfishadows, Container 47, The Shyness Of Strangers, Secret Sight, La Main, Fluxus, Grand((Ø))Signal, Neon Electronics, Hardlab, Judith Juillerat, Monolog and Love In Prague.

The label has also worked and collaborated with several musicians such as Alan Vega, Gabi Delgado, Dirk Da Davo, Eric Van Wonterghem, Jurgen Engler, Richard 23, Patrick Codenys, Marc Hurtado, Arturo Lanz, The Hacker, Dirk Ivens, The Horrorist, Haujobb, Position Parallèle, John Lord Fonda, Dominique Nicolas, Marc Collin, Michaël Theis, Radical G, Növö, Millimetric, In Death It Ends, In Aeternam Vale, Sonic Area, Adriano Canzian, Alice Botte, Versari and many more.

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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