News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

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Howard Jones album and live DVD
• The eighties synthpop star Howard Jones is still alive and well, and will as previously reported perform at this years SAMA, on May 13, in Gothenburg.
Before that, a DVD featuring his 20th Anniversary concert at Shephards Bush Empire in London will come out. It features 29 songs, and also contains guest appearances by Midge Ure, Nena and Jed Hoile. The DVD holds lots of extra material such as behind the scenes footage and interviews with both the band and fans. The PAL version comes out in Europe (except UK) on March 18. The UK version comes out on March 28, with an Australian/New Zealand edition on April 14. The US NTSC version comes out on June 6.
Howard also has a new electronic album out in May, entitled “Revolution of the Heart”. /Johan Carlsson

Release caught Decoded Feedback in Toronto

Decoded Feedback's Marco live at FunHaus, Toronto 2005.
Photo by: Alex Veronac (Release)

• Decoded Feedback have completed the recording of their new CD "Combustion" in their own studio. Prior to the band's live gig last week at the Toronto monthly Darkrave party, they told Release that they hope to tour in the USA soon in promotion of their upcoming CD. The collection is set to be released late spring on Out of Line and Metropolis Records.
Live as a trio with drummer Victor Rebelo (DHI, Rhea's Obsession), they were also backed by visuals created by Montréal VJ Francist T. known for video work with Suicide Commando.
The band look forward to work with some side projects: an ethno-beat project à la Delerium and keyboarder Yone Dudas plans to move into the realm of video game soundtracks and film scoring.
Decoded Feedback recently got confirmed for an appearance at Bradford,UK's Infest 2005 coming this August. /Alex Veronac

Rammstein remixed by Front 242
• The new Rammstein single “Keine Lust” contains a lot of mixes, and amongst the remixers are Clawfinger, Front 242 and Black Strobe. The single is out on February 28, but the video is already showing on tv. It features the band in fatsuits, headbanging away in a studio. This is the fourth single off "Reise Reise" in far less than a year. /Johan Carlsson

Straight up with Dismantled
• Gary Zon in Dismantled is to unleash a new ten-track EP called “Breed to Death” in May. It's supposed to have a retro eighties club feel to it, and it features remixes by Haujobb, Wumpscut, Psyclon Nine and Feed. Two new tracks can be found on there as well, as well as a cover of Paula Abdul’s hit “Straight Up”.
The upcoming full-length album “Standard Issue” should be out in August, and is said to be more upbeat and electro-oriented than last album “Post Nuclear”.
Dismantled is on Metropolis in USA, and Dependent in Europe. /Johan Carlsson

Reissues of all Klaus Schulze albums

Rock'n'roll the German way.

• Four reissues with ex-Tangerine Dream man - as well as new age and kraut rock legend - Klaus Schulze arrived from Border Distribution the other day. "Mirage" (1977), "X" (1978), "Dreams" (1986) and "Le Moulin De Daudet" (1992) are the first in line (out now) when all his numerous albums are to be rereleased via Revisited Records. We are offered bonus tracks, new booklets, liner notes and more.
This might not be considered the freshest tunes around 2005 but mind that some of Herr Schulze's LP:s were pioneering work at the time. This is a guy who's merit list also includes inspiring the career of new age star Kitaro (hmm...). Good old Klaus bought his first synthesizer 1972. That's when I was born.
We can't review everything that shows up here, especially not almost 30 years old albums, but now you know they're there. /Mikael Kahrle

1989-2005 Curve RIP

• The legendary English act has ended. In a statement from their web site, Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia confirm the end of Curve. Both have plans to work on solo material in the future but apparently, Curve is dead and buried.
Remembered by most for their work in the early 90:s, Curve have been emulated by bands too numerous to mention but the one which springs most readily to mind would be Garbage. After a two year break beginning in 1994, the band re-surfaced in 1996 with the single "Pink Girl with the Blues" following it up with the albums "Come Clean" (1997), "Open Day at The Hate Fest" (1999), "Gift" (2001), "The New Adventures of Curve" (2002) and "The Way of Curve" (2004). 
They will be missed. /Peter Marks

Grammy to Tilliander; all light on Kent
• As expected, last night's Swedish Grammy ("Grammis") Awards in Stockholm offered the premiere of Kent's new single "Max 500". The reactions so far have been overwhelming (review in progress). Kent, completely dressed in black, stated that their forthcoming album is the best Swedish album since 1948.
"Max 500" is available for internet purchase and the single's two extra tracks will go on line tomorrow, when the CD edition is released.
Electronica star Andreas Tilliander caught a Grammis for best club/dance 2004 for his album "World Industries". /Mikael Kahrle

Live DVD from Front 242
• August 2004, Lokeren, Belgium. 17 000 people watch Front 242 line up hits like "Headhunter" and "Body to Body" as well as many lesser obvious songs.
April 2005. This show will be available on a DVD called "Catch the Men" (April 4). Catch the DVD from internet (it will not be distributed to retailers). /Mikael Kahrle

Progress Productions signs two new bands


Necro Facility.

• The newly founded Swedish electro label Progress Productions is once again expanding its roster.
First up we have Necro Facility, a three-piece Swedish band playing dark EBM, in the "West Coast" vein of Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy and Numb. They’re working on their upcoming debut album now, to be released sometime this year.
Next we have Red Cell, a Swedish "electro metal" band with four lads who won the Quest For Fame talent hunt here in Sweden last year, but decided to turn down the first prize – a record deal. They have continued working on their material and are now ready to present the debut album on Progress in August.
Both bands offer a free downloadable track on www.progress-productions.com.
Progress latest release, the debut album from retro synthpop synthpop outfit Mr Jones Machine, entered the Swedish album charts on place 68 the other week. /Johan Carlsson

First wave of M'era Luna bands

Klinik live 2004.
Photo by: Karin Martinsson (Release)

• The German M'era Luna Festival has released its first wave of live acts for this year's event on August 13-14 in Hildesheim. Among the headlines we notice Deine Lakaien, The Klinik, Melotron and Hocico.
See On Stage for more on this festival and for continous updates of all relevant festivals. As soon as we have new names we add them. Only in some cases, we write about additions here at News. /Mikael Kahrle

• Jean Michel Jarre is working on a new performance show to be featured as part of the grand opening of the Hans Christian Andersen bicentenary at the national soccer stadium Parken in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 2. Jarre plans to perform several classics and offer a spectacular multimedia show reflecting some of Andersen's most cherished fairytales.
- Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales are timeless and universal. For all of us, at any age, there is always beyond the pure enjoyment of the tale, a message to learn… I am very pleased to have been invited to play an active role in his birthday celebrations and to share my music and creation with his amazing tales, says Jean Michel Jarre.
The 120 minute performance is called "Once upon a Time" and will present a number of tales, featuring an international cast of over 300 performers. /Mikael Kahrle

Kent member remix Backyard Babies
• Kent's Martin Sköld has made a remix of the Backyard Babies song "Minus Celsius". It's on a 10" vinyl released by Sound Pollution and BMG, out now. /Mikael Kahrle

More Mindware coming soon; Cycloon EP release in March
• Germany's Mindware are set to release a new EP. "[re]generate" (SSI) will feature several new songs as well as remixes by the likes of Rector Scanner, Xotox and Rotersand. A spring release date is planned.
Axel Kleintjes' other project Cycloon will release a web site only EP entitled "Motivation" in March. This latest effort features previously unreleased tracks from 2001 and 2002 with a guest appearance by O Mueller of Cyber-Axis. /Peter Marks

Live album from Daniel Ash
• As we told you two days ago, Bauhaus is to reform at the US Coachella fest. It's Daniel Ash, Peter Murphy, David J and Kevin Haskins that will perform as Bauhaus on stage on April 30. This is their first appearance together since their 1998 "Resurrection" tour.
A live album by Bauhaus' guitarist and Love and Rockets front man Daniel Ash taken from his last tour in 2003 is also slated to release around the same time. /Peter Marks

Bauhaus, New Order and NIN to Coachella

NIN.

• California's Coachella festival in Indio on April 30 and May 1 offers an impressive line-up, especially for a US festival. Or what do you say about Bauhaus, New Order, Nine Inch Nails, Cocteau Twins, The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Keane, Coldplay, The Raveonettes, Junkie XL, Miss Kitten and many more? /Mikael Kahrle, Alex Veronac

Visage to Wave Gotik Treffen
• And Also the Trees, Tanzwut - and Steve Strange's cult band Visage - are some of the new names added to Wave Gotik Treffen in May. /Mikael Kahrle

Swedish horror body act Morticians return from the dead

• Plutonium Distribution is going to release the 1993 debut demo from Morticians - "Mutilation Motivation" - on CD under the title "Mutilation Recreation", in February or March. The CD also offers new songs, new versions as well as remixes by Sophie Rimheden and others. The CD is to be mastered by Andreas Tilliander.
Morticians was one of those underground EBM acts that never made it to records in the early nineties. However, their horror and rock'n'roll influenced electronics gave them a small fanbase. We covered them in Release. All mentioned are from southern Sweden.
Related news: newly started Plutonium has started to work with USA's BLC and Poland's Black Flames. /Mikael Kahrle