News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

US Coachella fest with Kraftwerk and a reunited Pixies

Pixies in the nineties.

• California's spring Coachella festival brings top name alternative acts to the stage with this year being no different. Along with French band Air, UK's Radiohead and Germans Kraftwerk present, the real news is a reunion concert by Americans The Pixies.
The Pixies long drawn breakup was finally announced in January 1993. Their music is said to have spawned Nirvana and even the Lollapalooza festival. Ever since an UK radio interview with Frank Black in July 2003 and news of an upcoming DVD collection arriving this spring on 4AD, a reunion tour was rumoured. Coachella runs May 1 and 2 with second night headliners to be announced.
Recently, UK's Placebo played a Pixies cover on their last US Tour. Band leader/singer Charles Thompson IV aka Black Francis' last CD release was "Show Me Your Tears" by project Frank Black & the Catholics.
Catch earlier Pixies news by Release here. /Alex Veronac

Thumbs down from the right for "Majik"
• Conservatives in the United States are quite angry with the video for Ohgr's track "Majik" and are requesting that MTV remove it from rotation. According to Mr Comstock's descendents: "We the following fell shocked and appauled that MTV would air a music video that shows our president in a negative light."
Thus far, there has been no reply from Ohgr's management or members. Apparently, footage which would dare to show Mr Bush using mannerisms similar to Adolf Hitler and regards the American public for the most part as a rather zombiefied bunch who live vicariously through their television sets hit a bit too close to home... More news as we get it. /Peter Marks

Broder Daniel on new full tour

Henrik Berggren of Broder Daniel.
Photo by: Mikael Kahrle

• Sweden's Broder Daniel (indie superstars in their home country) and newcomers The Kid embark on a tour on February 12. Broder Daniel did five exclusive dates late last year, but now we're talking about a full-scale tour with at least 11 dates. See On Stage. /Mikael Kahrle

Second part of the "ElectroClash" compilation
• The label boss and remix specialist Larry Tee is set to release the second part in the "ElectroClash" series. On the new compilation we can find many new styles and faces of the electroclash movement. The CD contains 18 tracks from for example Spalding Rockwell, The Dead Sexy Inc., Gater, W.I.T., Freezepop, Capri and Neon Music. /Jens Krause

More live dates in store for Suicide Commando
• The "Axis of Evil" tour now brings you: part two. Beginning in Geneva, Switzerland on January 23, Suicide Commando will light up stages with their distinctive brand of spite. Other selected dates include: Cannes, France on January 24, and Zürich, Switzerland on February 21. Suicide Commando play the SAMA festival in Gothenburg, Sweden on April 2 and the legendary Castle Party in Poland on July 31.
Stand by for a Spotlight. /Peter Marks

New FLA first impressions, and new Delerium single


The artwork for Front Line Assembly's "Civilization" and Delerium's "Truly".

• A first listen to a CDR copy of the new Front Line Assembly album “Civilization” reveals a more mature band, using piano and strings while retaining the darker edge they’re known for. Most songs are moody and slow, but we also get a club track sung in German. The album is set to be out on January 26, on Metropolis in USA, and SPV in Europe.
The new single with Bill Leeb’s other project Delerium is “Truly”, pulled from the album “Chimera”. It comes in a number of different editions. The UK, US and European versions differ ever so slightly in their tracklists. Available from February 9. /Johan Carlsson

Refined Swedish electronica
• Several artists like Andreas Tilliander, Sophie Rimheden, Scanner, Apparat, Fade, Martin Jarl and more have received sounds made solely in a sugar refinery outside of Malmö, Sweden (!). With these sounds, they have then made their own track to feature on an album called “Industrial Cool”. It’s out on January 23, via new Swedish label 23Hz. /Johan Carlsson

New material from the PIG-man
• Raymond Watts of Pig and KMFDM has now finished recording a new album that this time will not be released under the Pig moniker. A new band has been formed aptly named Watts. Watts has recently kept himself busy with the KMFDM tour of North America and is now looking for a label to release the album preliminary entitled "Pigmartyr".
The members of this new incarnation are not yet revelead. /Peter Takizawa

Gershon vs Boys live

• Three members of NYC quartet Girls Against Boys (aka Girls vs Boys) accompanied actor/singer Gina Gershon on a recent brief US tour. Cult audience appealing Gershon had a film released earlier in 2003, "Prey for Rock & Roll" shown at film festivals. In the movie, she plays the lead singer of fictional all-girl rock band Clamdandy in late 80's LA. Techno-metal Girls vs Boys are best know for their energized 1998 major label debut "Freak*on*ica".
"Prey for Rock & Roll" was never released theatrically in Europe but comes out on home DVD on March 9. The movie soundtrack CD was released in October and features Gershon's vocals and attitude. /Alex Veronac

New Epsilon Minus record and website
• Upstart EBM/techno outfit Epsilon Minus has completed the recording of their new 70 minute LP "Reinitialized", to be released on Alfa Matrix in April. Guest vocalists include Kristy Venrick (The Azoic), Martha M Arce (Distorted Reality), Eric Oehler (Null Device) and Ned Kirby (Stromkern) on this, their third CD. Also, epsilonminus.com has just been revamped. /Alex Veronac

New Ataraxia album coming 2004
• "Saphir" (Cruel Moon International) by Ataraxia will be released February or March of the new year. This album is a concept album which explores the mythical, symbolic and mystical meaning over the millennia which gardens have attained. For those not familiar with this long-standing Italian act, their sound is rich in historical influence and grounded firmly in the desire to carry on traditional musical forms. /Peter Marks

And One reschedule tour after car crash

Photo by: Jens Krause

• One week before start of the first And One tour in three years, the dates are rescheduled for April. On New Year's Day, mastermind Steve Naghavi crashed on Autobahn and is now walking with crutches. /Jens Krause

False death rumour
• A rumour circulating on the net, suggesting that Siouxsie Sioux died a few days ago, is false. /Mikael Kahrle

Want to release a CD?
• Swedish label Memento Materia and electro club Nuclear Nation are together with other alternative clubs and media launching a second edition of Quest for Fame where the grand prize is getting a CD released on MM. The quest is restricted to Sweden and synth related genres.
Throughout the spring the the contests will be held in parts with bands performing in different parts of Sweden until the final in Linköping, planned for May. /Peter Takizawa

Gothenburg club celebrates four years tonight
• Gothenburg's Saturn club celebrates four years of indie nights today. The most played songs throughout the years are Robot's "Members of the Stars", The Smiths' "Panic" and The Cure's "Just Like Heaven". Co-organiser Henrik Wittgren (also organiser of Plasticity, Synthbar and Pilot) has been DJ:ing on all occasions, except for one when he fell in some stairs and was injured. /Mikael Kahrle

Current 04 activities from Current 93

• A pair of very rare live appearances by UK based experimental project Current 93 takes place in Toronto this Summer on June 18 and 19. No other live commitments have been made this year, yet.
"Hypnagogue" has been re-recorded for CD and vinyl LP release in March on UK label Durtro Records. "Hypnagogue" is a spoken word prologue to the forthcoming album by Current 93. The legendary band has also remastered and reissued "Thunder Perfect Mind" as a 2CD set with bonus material. /Alex Veronac

New club in Stockholm with Johan Kinde
• For several year Stockholm has seen small synth clubs appearing and disappearing. The latest addition to the night map is Noveau at Riche, organised on Wednesdays by Johan Kinde (Lustans Lakejer) and Daniel Jonasson (Tinitus, Sonic Havoc, Dupont). Expect elegant and decadent electronic and wave tunes (of course). /Mikael Kahrle

Successful gig with original Klink line-up

Klinik on stage in Antwerpen.
Photo by: Sören Jensen

• The two original members in legendary EBM band The Klinik, Dirk Ivens and Marc Verhaegen, did a unique comeback at the Belgian Independent Music Festival in Antwerpen on December 27 2003. 14 years have passed since they last performed together, but the concert sounded just as in the good old days.
- It feels strange to perform together again after 14 years… We are both a bit older and wiser, and we both have our own projects. So it feels like a strange thing to do after so long, Dirk Ivens told Release.
The gig was successful although Ivens and Verhaegen didn't rehearse.
- We almost never practiced in the past, and we have not been practicing for this concert either, Dirk revealed.
Stand by for a festival report and longer interview. /Karin Martinsson

New Ministry album in May
• Ministry are already in the studio recording the follow-up to "Animositisomina", their latest album which was released early 2003.
The new album will be titled "Houses of the Molé", and is scheduled for a May 2004 release on Sanctuary. Al Jourgensen, quoted in a press release, claims the new album will be "all Ministry" but with "a dash of Southwest flavor and half the carbs". Exactly what that means we'll probably have to wait until May to find out. /Kristoffer Noheden

Hocico and Blutengel pose for 2004 music calendar


• Another German industrial/gothic calendar has seen the light of day. German label Out of Line Music is selling a calendar for 2004 featuring their signed talents. Photos include Decoded Feedback, Hocico, Tristesse de la Lune, Blutengel, Amduscia, Dulce Liquido, Angels & Agony, Terminal Choice and more. Maybe a chance to pick up a late festive gift. /Alex Veronac