News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

Apoptygma Berzerker in "Temptation Island"

The sun always shines on TV.
Photo from: Kanal 5

• Geir Bratland of Apoptygma Berzerk can be seen in the Scandinavian edition of the documentary soap opera "Temptation Island". He and his girlfriend joined the spectacle to prove their love.
As previously reported, former underground band Apoptygma Berzerk will deliver the single "Until the End of the World" on February 11 and the album "Harmonizer" on the 25th (Swedish dates, others may differ). A first look shows an album in typical modern, streamlined Apop style, which is likely to satisfy both most fans and maybe others. The competition is tough now in early 2002, since many similar bands like VNV Nation, Mesh and KMFDM put out new albums.
For their new songs, we also hear that Apoptygma Berzerk have co-operated with a vocalist from Propaganda and Ladytron. Big review in progress, of course. /Mikael Kahrle

Alan Vega takes Manhattan
• Alan Vega of the monumentally influential NYC band Suicide is in the midst of his first art show in two decades. It is currently showing at the Jeffery Deitch Gallery in Soho, NYC until March 1. This exhibition is entitled "Collision Drive" and consists of varied neon/light/junk motifs, which Vega has painstakingly constructed over the years. The various A-listers who attended: Moby, Björk, Sonic Youth and Foetus.
Suicide will be playing a one-off show at the Deitch Projects space on February 22, during New York's Air Fair. The band also have already sold out two special Valentine shows at the Cartier Foundation arts space in Paris on February 14 and 15.
Suicide's new, yet untitled album will be released by Blast First/Mute later in 2002. /Peter Marks

The wait for Conjure One will soon be over


Rhys Fulber.

• According to Mindphaser.com, the single "Sleep" and album debut "Conjure One", of Rhys Fulber's post-Front Line Assembly project Conjure One will be out in March and April, respectively. The album has been plagued by delays, the most recent being sample clearances and deals with vocalists.
The "Sleep" single will feature a mix from renowned techno and trance producer Max Graham, and will also have a video made by UK fashion photographer Sean Ellis.
As stated in our interview with Chris Peterson of FLA, Rhys has also recently made some new tracks with Delerium, together with Bill Leeb. /Peter Marks, Johan Carlsson

"Super 8" single from Welle:Erdball
• The German retro synthpop band Welle:Erdball has returned with a new six-track single called "Super 8" (Synthetic Symphony, Energy) to prepare you for the new album "Die Wunderwelt Der Technik" (March). As usual, we get a concept single in style packed with extra tracks, a C64 version and a charming cover. /Johan Carlsson, Mikael Kahrle

Swedish EBM pioneers return
• Swedish EBM pioneers Scapa Flow enjoyed some success in the early nineties, especially in Germany, and is now set to issue a new CD called "Pax Vobiscum" (Energy Rekords). The disc will include tracks from their old albums, as well as two new tracks called "Bird on a Wire" and "Like Lovers Do". /Johan Carlsson

Synthpoppers pay tribute to New Order
• Synthpoppers Days of Fate have announced the release of a new single entitled "Perfect Time" and the date given is April 5. The single will contain the title song, mixes of it and the New Order cover "Bizarre Love Triangle" taken from the Synthphony cover tribute "True Faith - A Tribute to New Order".
This New Order tribute album should be out on the market now and all sales profit from it are said to go to the Red Cross, as a means to help out after the September 11 terror attacks. Other participating groups are mainly artists belonging to the record company. Those of you curious, can download the "Bizarre Love Triangle" for free here. /Peter Takizawa

Suggestive darkwavers celebrate with Mortiis

Photo by: Otto von Bush

• Swedish darkwavers Misled are about to release their second album on Saturday, February 2. It is titled "Secret Sea" and is said to be a mix somewhere between The Cure and Depeche Mode. A quick listen reveals instead a suggestive darkwave sound all of their own (soon to be reviewed). The Helsingborg band will celebrate their release with two gigs.
"For the Broken Heroes", the first album of Misled, was released in 1998 and now the band is back with a almost completely new setting. /Kalle Malmstedt

First look at new Theatre of Tragedy album

• Norwegian goth-metal pioneers Theatre of Tragedy are back. They will release their fifth album "Assembly", on March 4 (April 16, USA), after which Theatre of Tragedy is set to tour Europe. Beginning in the last weeks of April, the band will play in Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway.
"Assembly" is a record, drummer Hein Frode Hansen describes as their most organic up to date.
- While working on our last two records, we have made demos of the keyboards and programming in a studio of our own. After that, we have recorded the guitars, acoustic drums and vocals, and this has lead to a record with a sound that has been more separated or synthetic than we had expected. This time we arranged the basics of the songs, with drums, bass, guitar and keyboard melodies, in the rehearsal room, and after that, added more keyboards, programming and vocals. This has made "Assembly" a more organic affair.
And the electronic sounding Theatre of Tragedy that can be heard on the record, is something that makes Hein both pleased with the record and the way the band has developed.
- The record is more of a unit in itself than our previous ones. It also has more power and is more compact, without loosing the ambience and low key variations. It contains everything - from industrial punk metal, to electronic goth rock and ambient pop. Something for every taste. Maybe it’s kind of a record outside the genres? he says. /Kalle Malmstedt

A-ha complete new album
• More from Norway. The legendary pop group A-ha has finished work on their follow-up to 2000's "Minor Earth, Major Sky". No release date for the new album has been set. Currently the band are on a promotional tour of Europe, at the behest of their label WEA Europe. /Peter Marks

Meeting place for Wilder fans world-wide
• The first authorised Recoil forum has been on line for some time, at the German Recoil site. This is a meeting place for fans from all over the world and the main language is English. /Jens Krause

Melotron third band to be named for Swedish festival
• We can reveal that German electropop band Melotron will be the third band to play at SubSpace Encounter festival on February 16 (Lund, Sweden). The other two are Apoptygma Berzerk and Echo Image. One more band are expected to perform. Apoptygma Bezerk will play without tour support acts Echo Image and Nocomment in Stockholm and they will not visit Copenhagen, as previously reported.
This is the fourth SubSpace Encounter and the event is a collaboration between the label SubSpace Communications and the local clubs Vogon Variety and Neostalgia. /Mikael Kahrle

Project-X rewards the faithful
• On January 28 (Monday), Project-X will release a new disc entitled "Closing Down the Systems"'. The band also plan to open their archives of unreleased and rare mixes and versions for free download. They go on to state:
- The whole idea with the new limited edition disc was to give the fans the opportunity to obtain hard-to-get versions of songs.
Project-X will do one show to promote the new disc, in Sweden at Club Radium in Karlstad on February 15. Statemachine will open. /Peter Marks

Rammstein plays three festivals

• We hear that Rammstein through Pilgrim Management have plans for three Summer festival gigs: the Spanish Madrid Festimad, the German Hurricane Festival (unconfirmed) and the Danish Roskilde Festival. /Jens Krause

Nocomment studio without nuclear power
• The new EP from Nocomment is called "It's Not Too Late", and for every copy sold, one Euro will be donated to charity organisation of Jiltrud Schroeder, "Help e.V", dedicated to help the children of Chernobyl. There will be seven tracks on the EP, out of which six are exclusive. Out in February.
Nocomment also runs one of the first recording studios without power from nuclear energy (!), instead its taking power from Greenpeace Energy.
The band will also issue a compilation album in April 2002 called "Best of 1992-2004". The title is not misspelled, but it refers to the fact that the buyer can download additional songs after the release.
Nocomment will join Apoptygma Berzerk on their European tour (except Scandinavia), with Echo Image as second support. /Johan Carlsson

Two fresh compilations from Compost Records
• Munich's Compost Records will release two new dub/techno and lounge-music compilations. One is called "Fauna Flash" with remixes by Kruder and Blue Foundation and the other compilation is "Future Sounds of Jazz Vol 8", where jazz meets the new electronic generation. /Jens Krause

Several legends at Wave Gotik Treffen

Clan of Xymox are heading for Leipzig.

• Leipzig's giant Wave Gotik Treffen 2002 (May 17-20) includes everything from synthpop and EBM pioneers to tomorrow's alternative music stars. Among the celebs we find Soft Cell, Alien Sex Fiend, The Fall, Clan of Xymox, Suicide Commando, Neon Judgement, The Legendary Pink Dots, De/Vision, Diamanda Galas, The Mission, S.P.O.C.K, Vomito Negro and Haujobb. There are already over 100 bands booked for this year. /Alex Veronac, Mikael Kahrle

Musicfolio's top 15 of 2001
• The music critic web site Musicfolio has compiled a list of what they thought were the best 15 albums of 2001. Clan of Xymox has the number one slot, followed by Assemblage 23. /Johan Carlsson

Fan album art selected for Download CD

• Subconscious Studios has asked fans to submit artwork for their upcoming seven CD set of jams, outtakes, demos, live braps and unreleased finished (Hilt) product. Artwork for the first CD in the set ("Inception:the Subcon Jams 1994-1995") has just been awarded. The final artwork will have added logos and notes from Mark Spybey (former Download member).
Cevin Key comments:
- This great sleeve idea really does capture that overbuilding and bleakness that was prevalent during the recording from the Subcon studios (Vancouver, Canada). The studio was on the 8th floor so our view was almost that very picture. /Alex Veronac

The Pain Machinery is running smoothly

Live at London's Camden Underworld.

• If you like hard electronic power noise EBM with very danceable rhythms, you should check out The Pain Machinery, a one-man project by Anders Karlsson in Stockholm, Sweden. So far, no record label has contracted him but his music has been featured on a bunch of compilations, and you can also find material on www.mp3.com. His latest demo "Chaos in Expansion" is just finished. /Johan Carlsson

Soul Jazz compile old industrial and post punk
• English Soul Jazz Records, best known for their compilations of old Jamaican reggae and American funk, has got a rather different compilation due out soon. "In the Beginning There Was Rhythm" is released on January 28 and rounds up tracks from the late seventies and early eigthies twilight zone where punk and primitive industrial music met funk and disco. The Pop Group, This Heat, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle and The Human League are all featured in what looks to be a brilliant introduction to a long neglected musical era. /Kristoffer Noheden

Exclusive: Release visited first screening of NIN live DVD

Trent Reznor live on screen.
Photo by Alex Veronac (Release)

• The first public screening of "And All That Could Have Been", Nine Inch Nails live concert film/DVD was in Toronto on January 16. It was loud in the Paramount IMAX theatre, but the DVD image could not stand up to the 45 foot IMAX screen as pixelation could be seen. The DVD includes multiple camera angles for viewing which could not be seen in a theatre setting.
The excellent show included in-audience crowd surfing scenes, large stadium venues, outdoor and classic music hall type venues. All the promo posters were quickly taken off the walls by exuberant fans prior to the show starting. The limited edition companion CD ("Still") will only be available in 5 000 copies (for domestic Canada). /Alex Veronac

Cave to tour home country
• We rarely write about Australia, so here we go. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are reported to embark on an Australian tour in March. It will reach every capital city with six concerts all in all. The tour will also be supported by a special Australian-only tour edition single. The single will feature the track "Love Letter" and four live versions of songs from the latest album "No More Shall We Part". The single release is scheduled for mid February. Those of our readers interested in seeing Cave live down under can go here for details on dates and how to find tickets. /Peter Takizawa

Pluxus about to charm UK

• The new Pluxus EP (12" and CD) "Agent Tangent", we told you about back in December, arrived today. The release date is now set to February 4. Their third album is scheduled for March or April.
Pluxus are heading for UK with seven dates in February. The British label Rocket Girl will take care of the business outside Scandinavia. /Mikael Kahrle

New Clock DVA side project

• Clock DVA member Paul Browse is back under the name Visions of Excess with German artist Nirto Karsten Fischer. Their project is releasing its new album titled "Sensitive Disruption" on Italian Minus Habens Records.
UK based Clock DVA was an early noise force in Sheffield around 1978 and on Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records label. A reformation in 1988 led them to fame on the WaxTrax! label and industrial fans everywhere. Other lead DVA member Dean Dennis has a project called Sector whose "Morpheus" 12" is out on New York based Sonic Groove Records. /Alex Veronac

Preview on Post
• Gothenburg's Post are currently preparing an album for a possible March release. As usual, we can expect dark rock with lyrics in Swedish, influenced by fine old bands like Reeperbahn and Joy Division. /Mikael Kahrle

KMFDM: re-releases, artwork and tour

Brute-al artwork.

• KMFDM's "Opium", their cassette from 1985 is close to its expected re-release on CD. It also looks like their unofficial "KMFDM 84-86" compilation cassette will come out soon as well.
Band rehearsals start shortly for their upcoming tour for new album "Attak".
In other KMFDM news, Aidan Hughes, head of Brute (the outfit that designed all the KMFDM LP:s and shirts you own) is having an exhibition in San Francisco, USA. The show is called "Propaganda with Brute" and is open until February 4, 2002. /Alex Veronac

New SubSpace Encounter with Apoptygma Berzerk
• Apoptygma Berzerk's new tour together with Echo Image and Nocomment will include Mejeriet, Lund, Sweden on February 16 with a possible stop in Stockholm the day before. The bands' Scandinavian label SubSpace Communications have late plans to transform the Lund gigs into a new SubSpace Encounter festival.
- We are working on the last details and expect to go public in the end of the week, Bo Magnusson at SSC tells us. /Mikael Kahrle

Howard Jones releases limited live CD with classics



• "The Peaceful Tour Live" is what Howard Jones calls his new live CD, recorded during his tour of the UK last year. The CD is limited to 1000 copies, and includes many classic tracks such as "Conditioning", "New Song", "Hide and Seek" and "What Is Love?" in new versions. For this tour, Howard decided to make all tracks electronic, instead of playing with his band. Samples can be downloaded from his official web site. This is also the only place to buy the album. /Johan Carlsson

Videozine features alternative celebs
• German darkwave videozine Tape TV has now, after a year of silence, resumed its production. Issue seven will feature Him, The Mission and Apoptygma Berzerk. A remastered "Best of" series is also to be expected.
Our colleagues in the video media started Tape TV five years ago with the intent of making a videozine focused on the darkwave scene, due to the lack of mainstream TV coverage of the scene. The videozine features interviews and music with minor and major bands as well as reports from the scene. Distribution outside of Germany is handled by Nightbreed Recordings in Britain and by Energia in Italy. /Peter Takizawa