News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

Practice "Self Control" with Marc Almond
• Marc Almond has teamed up with dance producer Replicant for “Face Control EP” (October 4). Lead track is a cover of the recently deceased Laura Branigan’s 80’s hit “Self Control”, which is backed up by a re-recording of old Almond track “Fur” and brand new Almond/Replicant composition “Too Damn Beautiful”.
“Self Control” has also been part of some of Marc Almond’s recent DJ sets, the success of which has led to him being asked to compile a DJ mix album. This will feature some of his electro dance favourites alongside a few Almond songs, some apparently recorded especially for the album in question.
Among other Almond activities has been the publication of a new book. “In Search of the Pleasure Palace - Disreputable Travels” is the singer’s fifth book and came out on Sidgwick & Jackson in July. The author describes it as "part biography, part travelogue, part fact, part fiction, part whatever!”. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but if it’s half as entertaining as his excellent autobiography “Tainted Life” it should be well worth picking up. /Kristoffer Noheden

Third annual Belgian festival approaches

Portion Control.

• The Belgian Independent Music Festival (BIMF) will take place on December 18 this year and will feature Portion Control, Sonar, Parade Ground, Trisomie 21, Pressure Control and several other old school electronic acts. This festival continues to draw top line acts as veteran Release readers will recall, this event featured a classic Klinik line-up performing live last year. Trisomie 21 are returning with a new album this year. /Peter Marks

Duran Duran to release new album; the fab five return
• "Astronaut" (Capitol) will be out on October 4 with a lead single entitled "(Reach up for the) Sunrise" turned loose on September 20. This is the first Duran Duran album to feature the line-up of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor in 20 (!) years.
The tracks: the aforementioned "(Reach up for the) Sunrise", "You Want More!", "What Happens Tomorrow", "Astronaut", "Bedroom Toys", "Nice", "Taste of Summer", "Finest Hour", "Chains", "One of Those Days", "Point of No Return" and "Still Breathing". /Peter Marks

Bargeld and Gahan work for Hornbach and H&M
• A while ago, we watched (with surprise, we might add) a rather inspired Blixa Bargeld reading from the Hornbach catalogue in 13 German Hornbach TV commercial spots for, of course, Schlagbohrmaschine but also Fluginsekten-Vernichter, Schmutzwasser-Tauchpumpe, Zementschleier and other must-have-s. Watch "Blixa reads Hornbach" here.
Now, former Release writer Martin Söderström tipped us we could find old poster boy Dave Gahan in an H&M ad.
- It's just one picture of Gahan in a folder where we show our autumn collection. The folder will be used in shops and selected magazines, Annacarin Björne, H&M press manager tells us. /Mikael Kahrle

Update on Jean Michel Jarre



• French legend Jean Michel Jarre will present his new album ”Aero” to the world in about a month. It is yet another compilation, but with three new tracks, and new interludes between songs. All the older tracks have been newly recorded for DVD audio 5.1 sound. However, the package comes with a regular CD as well.
Jarre will play a large concert in Beijing on October 10. It takes place in the Forbidden City, features many Chinese artists and performers and is a part of the big “Year of France” event, which is a follow-up to last year's “Year of China” in France. The show will be broadcast on Chinese TV.
Read Mikael Kahrle's report on Jarre's "Aero" performance in Denmark 2002. /Johan Carlsson

Goldfrapp DVD on its way
• British electro duo Goldfrapp has a live DVD called “Wonderful Electric” out on September 27. It contains footage from gigs at Somerset House and Shephard’s Bush Empire last year, as well as some extra material.
Goldfrapp is currently working on a new album, and the Goldfrapp remix of Depeche Mode’s “Halo” will be on the new “Enjoy the Silence” remix single on October 25. /Johan Carlsson

The game isn't over for Laibach

Laibach live in Stockholm.
Photo by: Johan Carlsson

• The new single from respected NSK citizens Laibach is “Das Spiel ist aus”, and is pulled from the well received album “WAT”. The single will be available in both CD and 12” formats, with lots of different mixes. Check out your record store on September 13. /Johan Carlsson

L'ame Immortelle produced by Fulber and River
• L’ame Immortelle is a German darkwave band that’s soon coming out with their new album. “Gezeiten” will arrive on September 20, and has been produced by Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Fear Factory, Conjure One etc) and John A. River (Dead Can Dance, Sopor Aeternus). A limited edition with two bonus tracks will be available too.
The first single “5 Jahre”, is already out. /Johan Carlsson

Crystal Method DJ:s; new surround disc

TCM live DJ Set, Toronto 2004.
Photo by: Alex Veronac (Release)

• The Crystal Method recently ended their "Legion of Boom" live and DJ set tour that started back in February; the tour which was undertaken to promote their latest CD of the same name. With the recent release of this album in newly mixed DTS 5.1 surround DVD audio format on label Digital Sound, the band had extended their tour schedule. The new and improved DVD-A disc includes two extra mixes, a live photo gallery, the "Born Too Slow" video, and "The Making of Legion of Boom" featurette. Many of today's larger DJ tours are now presented in a 5.1 audio mix, bettering the previous quadraphonic speaker systems.
The Crystal Method have enjoyed crossover appeal for their catchy electro beat from fans of darker music. The Los Angeles based duo has remixed tracks for artists such as Garbage, Rage against the Machine and Moby. They also have additions to many theatrical movie soundtracks like "The Crow: Salvation", "Better Living Through Circuitry", "Spawn" and "Mortal Kombat". /Alex Veronac

New Cave single today
• As previously reported, Mute Records has announced the 13th studio album "Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (September 20). “Nature Boy” is the title of the new single, released today. /Peter Takizawa, Johan Carlsson

Robbie Williams goes electro
• According to Swedish paper Expressen, singer Robbie Williams has been working on an electro project called Pure Francis. In his upcoming biography he describes it as a mix between Neil Diamond, Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode. /Johan Carlsson

Amon Tobin makes music for "Splinter Cell"
• Electronica artist and sampling virtuoso Amon Tobin will make the score for the upcoming video game “Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory” by Ubisoft. The music will also be released on an official soundtrack via Ninja Tune. /Johan Carlsson

Tenth Girls under Glass album on Dependent
• German alternative veterans Girls under Glass have signed with a new guitar-based sub label to Dependent and are preparing their tenth studio album "Zyklus" for a spring 2005 release. A single might be released this year. The new sound is said to be complex, intense and emotional.
It's likely, Girls under Glass will show up on the new low-priced Dependent anniversary compilation "Dependence" (October). Other upcoming Dependent releases include Interlace: "Imago" (September 27), Mindless Faith: "Momentum" (September 27) and Babyland: "The Finger" (October). /Mikael Kahrle

Collide's first live gig on Dracula's Ball

Photo by: Matthew Cooke

• Los Angeles industrial duo Collide are in preparations for their first live performance. Collide play the Dracula's Ball event in Philadelphia, PA on Halloween (October 31). The band with four full length studio albums to their credit will perform with an onstage live contingent of six musicians. Keyboarder/writer Statik tells us that more live dates are in the works.
Also notable are tribute covers by singer Karin to Love and Rockets with "Haunted When the Minutes Drag" and Adam and the Ants with "Feed Me to the Lions". The "Vortex" collection contains an orchestral remix by Mark Walk (Ohgr, Ruby, Pigface) whom Statik worked with early on in the writing and production of Skinny Puppy's "The Greater Wrong of the Right" sessions.
Read a review of their latest re-mix 2CD "Vortex" by Johan Carlsson here. /Alex Veronac

Morrissey on American tour
• Morrissey is going to kick off his new 22 date North American tour in Washington DC on September 29. He released his new album "You Are the Quarry" on May 18 in USA, giving him his highest ever US debut at #11 on the Billboard Top 200. /Mikael Kahrle