News editor: Mikael Kahrle

Release in Aftonbladet
• Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet had a feature on the electronic music scene today. The lack of new bands is one of the issues covered. Those who understand Swedish can check it out here. /Mikael Kahrle

Release at the Arvika Festival

Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters of Mercy at a previous Arvika Festival. It's still unclear when he intends to release something.

• Release Kristoffer Noheden is currently at the tenth Arvika Festival with The Sisters of Mercy, Tricky, The Orb, P J Harvey and many more. We look forward to his report. /Mikael Kahrle

Billy Corgan: new Smashing Pumpkins releases

Once a band.

• The Smashing Pumpkins are no more. But according to front man Billy Corgan they will be pretty busy ahead for a band that is non-existing. A "Greatest Hits" is planned for November 6. There are also loose plans for two DVD:s (videos, concert, documentary) and a compilation with B-sides and left-over songs. Corgan announced these plans at a tribute gig at Metro Club in Chicago last Saturday. /Mikael Kahrle

Sombre View have completed recordings of new album

Mattias, mastermind of Sombre View.

• Swedish alternative pop trio Sombre View tells us their new album "I Want To See the World Go Under" is recorded. Life Is Painful Records plan to release it in September. Both artist and label are very pleased with the result and are already making plans for another album. The new Sombre View web site is up now. /Mikael Kahrle

Downloaders release vinyl album
• "Dark Features" is a new release by Phil Western and Tim Hill. An added bonus fan-only 300 copy Internet 10" vinyl release (containing three unreleased song) for early buyers. The album is now shipping at www.colourspeaks.com and a sound clip is available.
Phil a k a Philth is best known for his work with Download. Philth and Download member Cevin Key did a DJ gig together in San Francisco back in April with positive crowd response. Philth has also collaborated with Skinny Puppy member Dwayne Goettel and has previously released a solo CD. Tim Hill has worked with Phil in the past and did the visuals on Download's last tour to promote the album "The Eyes of Stanley Pain". /Alex Veronac

Famous goth-rockers Lacrimosa back in the spotlight

• Swiss goth rockers Lacrimosa will be back in the spotlight with the maxi CD "Der Morgen Danach" ("The Morning after") on August 6. Expect contributions from the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg and two exclusive songs. An album will follow this autumn. After that release, a European tour is scheduled.
During the last years, Lacrimosa have established their sound world-wide and the new songs shows a new musical side. /Jens Krause, Mikael Kahrle

Plans for new Oslo Synth Festival
• This year's one-day Oslo Synth Festival will take place at John Dee on November 10. So far, just a couple of small local acts like Magicka and Zensor have been confirmed. /Mikael Kahrle

VNV Nation and Rational Youth to Tinitus
• The Stockholm electro festival Tinitus has given us the first three acts for this year's event: VNV Nation, Rational Youth and Sucide Commando. Three more international, and some Swedish, acts will be hired to Tinitus on November 3, this year on "Allhuset". /Mikael Kahrle

Psyche release EP and plan live shows

• We have reported about the new album by Psyche earlier, and "The Hiding Place" is out now. The group is now doing a lot of promotion, and Art of Fact has just put out the EP "Sanctuary". It contains remixes from amongst others Icon of Coil and Negative Format. Psyche plan to play live both in Europe, USA and Canada in the near future. /Johan Carlsson

For fans of Die Form?
• Diode Fetish is a new band from San Francisco, consisting of a man, "Diode", and a woman, "Fetish". They play a kind of electronic darkwave music with an erotic/bondage theme, very much like Die Form. For more information, go have a look at their site. /Johan Carlsson

Ruby and Ohgr's Mark Walk have an album together

• Lesley Rankine is the woman behind Ruby, which makes electronic pop music with a soul twist. Her new album called "Short Staffed at the Gene Pool" is out now on Clearspot. The album is produced by Mark Walk, the man who Nivek Ogre worked with for his album "Welt". Ruby is currently playing live and will also release a remix album in July. /Johan Carlsson

Phil Western and Tim Hill release Dark Features
• In an earlier News, we reported that Phil Western of Download fame, and Tim Hill, visual director of Download live shows, were making an album together. It is called "Dark Features" and is only be available on line, through Scott Graham's Litany page, or Colourspeaks. It is out now, and if you are quick, maybe you can get hold of one of three hundred issues of a 10" bonus vinyl with unreleased tracks. The music is psychedelic electronica with swirls of guitar. /Johan Carlsson

Large, new electro and goth festival in Stockholm
• Apoptygma Berzerk, Das Ich, Tiamat, In Strict Confidence, Attrition, Malaise, Project-X and In Slaughter Natives - what do they have in common? Well, they and eight more will perform at the new Electric Gathering open air event. It's scheduled for August 12 (yes, only one day) at Stockholm's Skeppsholmen. /Mikael Kahrle

Future plans from S.P.O.C.K

And what is Alexander "Android" Hofman doing with good old Alice? The mystery is explained (?) below.

• S.P.O.C.K announce plans to perform at five different festivals this summer, so far at least. They always play at the Arvika Festival and this year, at the festival's ten year anniversary, will be no different.
Other plans include Eurorock (together with artists like Nina Hagen and Sigue Sigue Sputnik) and M'era Luna (where also Marilyn Manson and Gary Numan will show up).
And finally a quote from the band's latest news briefing:
"These festivals also mark the end of S.P.O.C.K's current career!! After 13 years in business they've finally realised that electronic pop is a blipping mischief, callous, inhuman, hopelessly out, and generally silly. So, it is with great pride and pleasure we can report on a recent agreement of co-operation with the everlasting Alice Cooper!!! We're talking high-class shows and a total unification! Much is wrapped in mystery and written in the stars but first up is the gentleman's comeback-follow-up "Brutal Planet 2" - the connection is obvious!
S.P.O.C.K is also pleased to adopt a culture containing real, serious and professional groupies, something totally missing in the electronic world. The summer adventures will therefore be the last in present shape cause then it's 'goodbye, wimpy pop - hello, rock'n'roll'! Hey ho, the future looks bright.
Naturally all this also means the band will cancel the Depeche Mode support adventure." /Mikael Kahrle

Nine Inch Nails "Deep" hits TV stations
• The video for Nine Inch Nails' "Deep" is now showing on different TV channels, but it is with an edited version, made for American audiences. If you want to see the uncut version you will have go to the official web site. It is not known if the track will become a single. /Johan Carlsson

"I Feel Loved" details and DM live on MTV


The LCDBong31 cover.

• Depeche Mode's upcoming single "I Feel Loved" will contain the following audio - and multimedia. The single has been set for release on July 23, as previously reported.
CDBong31: 1) "I Feel Loved" Single Version 2) "Dirt" Single Version 3) "I Feel Loved" Extended Instrumental Version.
LCDBong3: 1) "I Feel Loved"  Danny Tenaglia's Labor of Love Edit 2) "I Feel Loved"  Thomas Brinkmann Mix 3) "I Feel Loved" Chambers Mix. Multimedia section: 1) In the studio with Mark Bell & Gareth Jones (30 seconds) 2) The first "Exciter" photo shoot with Anton Corbijn (30 seconds) 3) The second "Exciter" photo shoot with Anton Corbijn (30 seconds) 4) At the "Dream on" video shoot with Stephane Sedoui (30 seconds).
12Bong31: 1) "I Feel Loved" Danny Tenaglia's Labor of Love Edit 2) "Dirt" Danny Tenaglia's Labor of Love Edit.
When Depeche Mode played their gig in Philadelphia on June 30, MTV recorded the gig. Time for broadcast is not confirmed yet. Some of the live recording might be released on the upcoming singles, as they did on the "Ultra" singles. /Jesper Lakman (Uselink), Mikael Kahrle

Prodigy on stage after long break

• The long awaited new Prodigy album "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned" is still some way off. But the band has now announced they will play live on four festivals in August: Bizarre and Lowlands to mention two of them. /Johan Carlsson

New April Tears dates - again
• The April Tears' "Consume Desire" is now scheduled for September 17. A new single, "Hardcoming" (September 3), will hopefully raise interest beforehand. "Hardcoming" was first scheduled to be a single years ago, but is now updated.
The latest plan changes is a result of the band's label Telstar, closing their Swedish office. Their partner Edel is taking over the April Tears comeback project. /Mikael Kahrle

Aphex Twin finally returns
• The new Aphex Twin album called "drukqs" has just been mastered in London. It contains 30 tracks, and it will be a double CD. /Johan Carlsson

New single with bob hund

• Swedish bob hund have just released a new single from their album "Stenåldern kan börja". The chosen track is "Dansa efter min pipa", which is remastered for the occasion. A live recording of "Min hund" from the 1999 edition of the Hultsfred Festival is extra track.
We can also tell our Swedish readers that the singer Thomas Öberg will be on the radio show "Sommarpratare" on P1, August 11. /Johan Carlsson

Skinny Puppy DVD postponed?
• It seems, there are different bids for the Skinny Puppy Doomsday DVD. Now, we hear that it is postponed without a new release date. /Johan Carlsson

Moby on fully loaded DVD

• The DVD format has quickly become a paradise for music fans. Moby is next in line to release a DVD, on July 23.
The "Play" DVD will feature six live songs with enhanced sound, twelve videos, 100 minutes of remixes, also with enhanced sound and together with visuals and a short film.
The otherwise busy live man Moby has announced his only gig this year, so far at least, at the Area:One Festival in Detroit. Area:One is aiming at becoming the Lollapalooza of the dance scene. Other artists at the 16 date tour includes New Order and Carl Cox. /Jens Krause, Mikael Kahrle

Alan Wilder on Depeche Mode today

• At the German Recoil site Black Box, you can find a fresh straight-forward Alan Wilder interview. Wilder speaks about, among other things, the last Recoil album, English soccer, his daughter's musical taste and Depeche Mode.
Black Box points out that in Germany, "80% of all DM-fans think that he is missing in the band and would love to see him back there again".
- If this is the case, then it's very flattering to be thought of in such a way by the fans, especially after six years. Depeche Mode, these days, is essentially a Martin Gore solo project with Dave singing - it is bound to sound different and perhaps people just miss the translation onto record of "band interaction"/"chemistry"/"tension" - call it what you will, he says.
Wilder follows his old band mates' latest albums.
- Of course, I have heard the albums (not all the remixes though) and I take an interest in what they are doing - who wouldn't be curious having been a member of the group for so long?
It's unusually quiet in Wilder's studio. His next album is not likely to show up until 2003, he says. What's going on?
- I'd like to have lots of positive news but the truth is, not much. I have been pre-occupied with other things over the last year and music has had to take a back seat. I have a few tracks underway but no real direction at the moment. /Jens Krause, Mikael Kahrle

Individual Totem on new label
• The German electro duo Individual Totem, consisting of Bernd Madl and Matthias Knopp have now joined forces with the Canadian Inception label. A new MCD called "W.W.W" will be the first sign of life, and it will contain rare, unreleased and remixed tracks. A new full-length album will hopefully emerge later in the year. /Johan Carlsson

Flesh Field controls our belief
• A new album from EBM band Flesh Field is now completed, but the release date is yet to be set. The album called "Belief Control" is the follow-up to their debut "Viral Extinction". The band has also been working on some remixes, for amongst others God Module and Project-X. /Johan Carlsson

New album with Nik Kershaw

• Pop veteran Nik Kershaw might still raise some interest among Release readers. He is back with a new album called "To Be Frank". It is out now, with a single named "Wounded" following soon. The sound is now totally acoustic. /Johan Carlsson

• The label formerly known as Kyndred
• The label Kyndred has now changed name to E115 Records, after some differences between the owners. Jackson Presley is now the sole manager. The label is home of artists like Steril, The Shizit and Deathboy. /Johan Carlsson