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News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson |
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Das Ich and VNV Nation to SAMA January 11 2006 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)
Just in: Das Ich, VNV Nation, Iris, Seize and Spetsnaz join the line-up (already containing De/Vision, Strasse and Sturm Café) of this year's Scandinavian Alternative Music Awards - SAMA - in Gothenburg on April 14. There is still three live slots left.
Pet Shop Boys remix Madonna January 11 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden) Neil and Chris of Pet Shop Boys have made a remix for the upcoming Madonna single “Sleep”. The “PSB Maxi-mix” features some added vocals by Neil, but it’s not certain it will be included on the commercial single, or just end up on promo copies for DJ:s.
Run Level Zero on US tour January 11 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden)
Swedish hard hitters Run Level Zero will perform twelve gigs during a three week US tour, starting tomorrow, on January 12. They’ll play together with another Swedish act, namely the new romantic Moulin Noir. The band’s web page shows the tour dates and will also feature a tour diary with pictures taken on the road. Furthermore, the band is working on a new album, following the album “Walk the Psycho-path” and the EP “And Thus We Walked”, and they claim that it will retain the Run Level Zero sound, while being slightly more modern and dancey.
Box set to be released by Portion Control January 11 2006 | By: Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA)
Scheduled for a first quarter departure, Portion Control plan to release a massive eight disc box set containing every last thing they have ever released up to "Well-Come". For those not quite getting it, this box will include the albums "I Staggered Mentally", "Hit the Pulse", "Simulate Sensual", "Step Forward" and "Psycho Bod Saves the World". Also contained within will be the singles "Surface and Be Seen", "Raise the Pulse", "Rough Justice", "Go Talk", "The Great Divide" and "Purge". The eighth discs will contain every track from these releases in MP3 format along with a collection of screen images from 1980-1990 and 2003-2005. Portion Control are busily in the studio working on the follow-up to 2003's "Well-Come" which is scheduled for a March/April release. The record is described by the band as: "Our most ambitious project to date". No tour dates have yet been announced.
The Sisters of Merciless touring January 6 2006 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden), Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA), Alex Veronac (Toronto, Canada) Still without a new album out (hey, even a single would be nice), The Sisters of Mercy continue to exploit live opportunities. Old stars living on nostalgic memories frequently play Las Vegas and it's kind of fitting that Eldritch and co will perform there, on February 16. "Sisters bite the silver bullet! We have loved you long time.", they say at their web site. Just in, we hear that this date is followed by 15 other North American live dates. The tour ends in San Francisco on March 22. The Worlocks - rock act from Mute Records - play support.
DAC yearly roundup January 4 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden)
We find NIN on second place in the singles charts, followed by New Order and “Krafty”. VNV Nation’s “Chrome” is up next, and then “Deine Lakaien”. This is also the charts where you can find Iris just one step ahead of Coldplay, and Apoptygma Berzerk before both Billy Idol and Franz Ferdinand. It looks cool, but of course has little to do with sales. Read the charts here.
Nitzer Ebb boxes set for release January 4 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden) Our colleagues at Side-Line just talked to Nitzer Ebb singer Douglas McCarthy, who revealed that the band has made up with their old record label Mute. This means that the long awaited “Body of Work” box will finally see the light of day. Right now it seems like it will have two CD:s and one DVD included. A separate remix album is also in the works, with two discs worth of new and old remixes, as well as unreleased material.
New album and EP from In Strict Confidence January 2 2006 | By: Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA) The News section is back after the holidays and we start by catching up with German electro stars In Strict Confidence. The EP "Where Sun & Moon Unite" (Minuswelt) will be released in March of 2006 and will be followed by the band's new album entitled "Exile Paradise". The new EP will feature ten tracks with remixes by Samsas Traum and Blutengel among them. The band also have created a Myspace account which can be viewed here.
Stunning band without label January 2 2006 | By: Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA) After a five year absence, US based electronic act Index have recently completed work on their fifth studio album entitled "World Blade Center". Index's debut album "Sky Laced Silver" which was released in 1995, stunned both reviewers and electro fans worldwide with it's complex synthesis and modern compositional approach. Index are currently not signed to any label and according to Eric Chamberlain, the sole member of the band, plan to self-release the album via the band's web site. |
It's hardly surprising
that Depeche Mode's return
to the public eye would
make a big impact on the
Deutsche Alternative Charts
(DAC). They’re topping
both the album and singles
charts' yearly roundup,
with “Playing the
Angel” and “Precious” respectively.
Other albums near the top
of the charts are Rotersand’s “Welcome
to Goodbye”, Nine
Inch Nails’ “With
Teeth” and a compilation
album in the form of “Advanced
Electronics Vol. 4”.
Of course VNV Nation’s
latest effort “Matter
+ Form” is near the
top too.