News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

Erasure - still breathing



• The upcoming single from British synthpop legends Erasure is called ”Breathe”, and is out on January 3 in the UK, and on January 13 in USA. It comes in three variations: two CD editions and one DVD. There's one exclusive track called “Gone Crazy” on CD 1, a bunch of mixes on CD 2 as well as remixing software, and the DVD sees the promo video and another exclusive track called “Mr Gribber and His Amazing Cat”.
The new album “Nightbird” is out on January 24 in UK, and on January 25 in USA. It’s the first album with original material since "Loveboat" in 2000, and early reports say that it sounds like vintage Erasure.
Prepare for a tour supporting the album next year, in both Europe and USA.
Furthermore, the live video “The Tank, the Swan and the Balloon” is out on DVD with some extra material on November 22 (UK) and November 30 (US). /Johan Carlsson

Kent album in March and XL-sized tour in May-June
• Sweden's superstars Kent are right now working on their new album “Du & jag döden” (“You & Me Death”) in a studio in Stockholm. According to the band members, it's a very depressing record, but it contains some of the best songs they've ever made.
After the album comes out on March 15 next year, the band will embark on a tour of Sweden, Norway and Finland. According to the press release, the concerts will be played in tents and huge tents it is, since some of the shows are supposed to have room for 18 000 people. The tour starts in Gothenburg on May 13, moves through the country with two big shows in Stockholm on May 27-28 and ends in Helsinki on June 18. Tickets go on sale this monday November 22. /Johan Carlsson

John Balance of Coil dead

John Balance (to the left) with Peter Christopherson.

• The shocking news has just reached us that John Balance (real name Geoff Rushton) of Coil passed away this Saturday. According to a post on Coil’s Threshold House web site, Balance fell down the stairs in his home under the influence of alcohol, and hit his head. He was rushed to hospital, but never regained consciousness.
The music world has lost one of its true visionaries and poets. /Kristoffer Noheden

Pan Sonic make it big at home
• The status of experimental electronica is on the rise. On November 11, The Finnish minister of culture presented the duo Pan Sonic (Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen) with the prestigious Finnish state art award. Pan Sonic are now €13 000 richer for having persistently pursued their own, unique sound art over a decade, establishing themselves firmly in international music and art circles. They represent the "Northern sound of electronic and artistic music which has become well known phenomenon internationally, in its purest possible form" (all from the award motivation text).
On a side note, the boss of Pan Sonic's original record label Tommi Grönlund is a well established artist constantly exhibiting installation art of various kinds, in Finland as well as abroad. It is all definitely a move up
in the world for a bunch of old illegal rave organizers from (my present home town) Turku once known as Hyperdelic Housers. /Mattias Huss

20 years of "Living on Video"

• In the endless stream of eighties nostalgia, Trans-X have found a reason to make their voice heard: it's time for the "Living on Video 20th Anniversary Tour". So far, only one date is confirmed though: tonight at retro club Heaven in Gothenburg, Sweden. Trans-X man Pascal Languirand claims concerts are about to happen also in Holland, Germany, Poland, Russia, France, UK, Italy and his new home country since seven years, Spain.
- I will release a new CD entitled "Trans-X Reloaded" early 2005 and I perform two new songs from this live, he tells Release.
After several years as a musician in Canada, Pascal formed Trans-X (the name originates from Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express"). Trans-X have released a number of records, but none have even been close to the success of eighties synthpop anthem "Living on Video" from 1984. The single, both in its English and French ("Vivre sur Video") versions, has sold over 2,5 million copies and been covered numerous times. "Living on Video" was the last single from Gothenburg pop band Fidget (who are more than likely to show up tonight).
In the second part of the 80:s, Pascal relocated to Hollywood and married Lady D who was an ex-Playboy Playmate. They are now divorced.
- After the 80:s, I recorded various records in the new age genre: Minos, De Harmonia Universalia, Gregorian Waves and Renaissance. I moved to other types of music and also soundtracks because of problems
with my record company. Actually, I am one of the founders of new age electronic music in Canada. I also ventured into video production and multi-media. You see, whatever I do, I still live on video! /Mikael Kahrle

Howard Jones to SAMA

Howard Jones latest release: "The Very Best of Howard Jones".

• Swedish Alternative Music Awards (Gothenburg, May 13) has released it's first booking: British pop legend Howard Jones. Mr Jones hasn't appeared live in Sweden since his golden days in the eighties. We recall he was one of the most popular artists in the main synthpop wave in Sweden in the mid eighties, alongside Depeche Mode, Alphaville, Erasure, OMD and many others. Now, synthpop sounds about the same as back then, but is some kind of underground genre. During a few years in the eighties synthpop was everywhere in Sweden - all over the charts, the radio and the discos.
Eleven more SAMA acts will follow. /Mikael Kahrle

Another successful Tinitus fest is over

Douglas McCarthy strikes a pose.
Photo by: Jonas Carlson

• Our writer and our photographer have reported in after this weekend's Tinitus festival in Stockholm. They say Tinitus 2004 was sold-out, well-organized and offered appreciated live shows from Fixmer/McCarthy, Portion Control, VNV Nation and others. The audience had mixed feelings about A Split Second and Alphaville though. Just like when the played in Gothenburg a few years ago, Alphaville seemed to lack understanding about why people like them. A band more in touch with everything, VNV Nation, premiered two new strong songs from their upcoming album "Matter and Form".
It was striking that Tinitus focused on really old stars but people seemed to enjoy this choice.
To the report. /Mikael Kahrle

Founding member of New Model Army dead
• One of the founding members of New Model Army, Robert Heaton is gone. He died four days ago from cancer. /Mikael Kahrle

It's a Dark Xmas in London
• The label Cryonica Music will organize the first Dark Xmas Festival this year, at The Garage in London. The bill includes Leech Woman, Inertia, Manuskript, The Ghost of Lemora, Libitina, Antivalium and Ovni, and it takes place on Sunday December 12. /Johan Carlsson

Porno goth on the roads

Umbra et Imago: now completely naked. Goth clothing is too expensive?

• The porno-goth-rockers Umbra et Imago from Germany (where else?) are back with a new album called "Motus Animi" and in January they embark on a tour consisting of, so far, only five dates in Germany and Austria. NFD and Thanateros join on the first three dates in Dresden, Leipzig and Essen. /Mikael Kahrle

27 gigs await Diary of Dreams
• Diary of Dreams, the German darkwave/EBM act, looks forward to 27 live dates. They plan a single date in Athens on December 11 and then a real tour kicks off on February 2 and takes them through GAS, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Denmark and Norway up until March 5. /Mikael Kahrle

Two singles from 8kHz Mono
• Swedish EBM newcomers 8kHz Mono will deliver not one, but two singles in the near future. First, the "download" single "Blue" (available in a radio version on the label Progress' web site) and later, in December, the real deal with the song "Heavy Water" alongside remixes. /Mikael Kahrle

Headscan go high-tech
• The two Canadians Claude Charnier and Christian Pomerleau in Headscan will show us the first sign of life in three years soon via Artoffact Records. The EP “Dead Silver Sky” features four versions of the title track, and two new songs. This is leading up to the album “Pattern Recognition” which comes out next year. I sense a certain William Gibson influence in the titles, by the way. Expect dark, high-tech electronica with trance influences. /Johan Carlsson

Arvika Festival saved

Keane live in Arvika.
Photo by: Peter Åstedt (Release)

• The Swedish Arvika Festival experienced serious financial problems after this year's festival in July. Fewer visitors than expected showed up although Kraftwerk headlined the event alongside Skinny Puppy and many other stars. The future of the popular event was in jeopardy up until a few days ago. Now, settlements have been reached which means those who still wait for payments from the festival accept less, in exchange for parts of future profits.
Next year's festival will take place on July 14-16 and 17 000 tickets will be put on sale, starting on December 1. /Mikael Kahrle

Dead Can Dance tour set
• The 2005 Dead Can Dance tour we wrote about in September is now set and the plan looks as follows:
March 10 Dublin, 12 The Hague, 14 Paris, 16 Lille, 17 Brussels, 19 Bordeaux, 21 Madrid, 22 Barcelona, 24 Milan, 26 Cologne, 27 Munich, 29 Berlin, 31 Warsaw, April 1 Riga, 3 St Petersburg, 6 London.
A US leg of the tour will take place in September. /Mikael Kahrle

More Polish electropop from Common Dream



• We seldom hear of Polish electropop bands, but here is one: Common Dream, on Poland's Black Flames Records. We have told you about this critically acclaimed band before and they’re now working on their second album due out in 2005. They describe it as melancholic with electronic beats and some guitars. /Johan Carlsson

A golden Knife
• Electropoppers The Knife reached the Swedish gold sales limit in September with their album "Deep Cuts". A new UK DVD edition of the album has been well received and the duo is currently working on their next album in a studio in Gothenburg together with popstar Robyn (!). /Mikael Kahrle

Claire Voyant and Cut.rate.box work together
• Well, almost anyway. At least Victoria Lloyd from Claire Voyant and Clint Sand from Cut.rate.box. Together they have started the project Mono Chrome, and the debut CD “Collapse and Sever” featuring electropop/EBM is out now on Cryonica Music. /Johan Carlsson

Laibach remix Rammstein
• The next single from Rammstein’s current album ”Reise Reise” will be ”Ohne dich”. The single is out on November 22 and contains remixes from Laibach, Sven Helbig, Schiller and more. It comes as both a limited digipak and a standard jewel case. /Johan Carlsson

Rimheden and Lidbo shout out

Sophie Rimheden.

• Two of Sweden’s top electronica artists – Sophie Rimheden and Håkan Lidbo – have joined forces to make an electropop cover of Tears for Fears’ 80:s hit “Shout”. The four-track single is out on Memento Materia later this month and features four versions of the track, with mixes by Sophie Rimheden herself, Thomas Andersson and Project Grudge. /Johan Carlsson

Kitty Jutbring signed to SSC
• Swedish eletro-pop-punk-whatever band Kitty & the K (with Kitty Jutbring who participated in the Swedish version of docu-soap Big Brother) have just released the single “Time’s up” on SSC. It’s available for free download at www.subspace.se. /Johan Carlsson

Audio War from Cubanate member
• The new British label MOMT Records has just signed Audio War, the project from Cubanate and K-Nitrate member Graham Rayner and his K-Nitrate colleague Christian Weber. Influenced by bands such as Rage Against the Machine, Meat Beat Manifesto and The Prodigy, their debut album “Negativity” comes out in mid-November. /Johan Carlsson