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No more Fever Ray

October 28, 2009 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)

In an interview in The Guardian, Fever Ray's Karin Dreijer Andersson says she will close down her project in December after just one album. She says she'll probably work with her brother in The Knife instead.


44 The Smashing Pumpkins songs for free

October 28, 2009 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)

The Smashing Pumpkins plan to give away their upcoming album for free. They say they will release 44 songs, one by one, for free on the Internet starting any day now. The songs will then be released on four eleven track EP:s, and the EP:s will finally be released in a box.

The EP:s are based on the Tarot characters The child, The Fool, The Skeptic and The Mystic. The new sound is a return to the roots of the band: "atmospheric, melodic, heavy and pretty".


Throbbing Gristle ship loop machine

October 26, 2009 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)

On November 30, Industrial Records Ltd and Throbbing Gristle ship the first Gristleisms - a bastard offspring of the loop player Budda Machine. It's a noise instrument and industrial sound machine with 13 original loops. Gristleism comes in three colors, all with speaker and controls for volume, pitch and loops.


German festivals calling

October 23, 2009 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)

Vive La fete
Vive La Fëte.

Here's some news from the German festival scene.

M'era Luna in Hildesheim (August 7-8, 2010) has announced the following live acts: The Sisters of Mercy, Unheilig, Lacrimas Profundere, Das Ich, Illuminate and In Extremo.

The latest additions to Blackfield in Gelsenkirchen (June 12-13) are Front 242, Tyske Ludder, Deathstars, Vive La Fête, Saltatio Mortis and Girls under Glass.

Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig will take place on May 21-24. No bands have been released as of now.


New Zealand's Ladyhawke catches that "happy sad vibe"

October 22, 2009 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)

Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke (New Zealander Pip Brown) releases her new single "Magic" next week (video out now), a song we've been spinning here at Release all year. "Magic", charged with synth-driven 80:s hit power, is taken from the debut album "Ladyhawke", which has sold over 200 000 copies in UK alone since its release on year ago.

- What I have tried to do is really recreate the same vibe that so many amazing records of the 70:s and 80:s produced. Vintage Synths have been used. I wanted to capture the "happy sad" vibe that so many 80:s classics had. Music that came out of the 80:s had such a unique and definitive sound. Big production, big synths and big guitar riffs. The songwriters were incredibly significant, she says.

Pip Brown writes all songs herself, plays more or less all instruments in studio, and tours with a band. This fall she's touring New Zealand, Australia and USA.

Christina Aguilera has done a cover of Ladyhawke's single "My Delirium" for her upcoming album. The cover was co-produced Ladytron.


First two Electrixmas bands

October 21, 2009 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)

AP

The annual Electrixmas mini festival has released the first two bookings: Aesthetic Perfection (pic) and Sadman. Three more remains.

Electrixmas takes place on December 19 at Inkonst in Malmö, Sweden.


New Kraftwerk album taking shape in the Kling Klang studio

October 19, 2009 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)

In connection to the Kraftwerk re-releases, Ralf Hütter tells Billboard Kraftwerk is working on a new album in the Kling Klang facility.

- There's still time to go but in the winter it's pretty gray here, so it's a good situation to go into the studio, he says.

Hütter can't say much about the new sound yet.

- It's still very early. It's still in its embryonic stage.

Kraftwerk expect to tour again after the new album is released. The 2009 gigs have featured 3D graphics.

Hütter also hopes to re-release the first three albums that preceded "Autobahn".

- When I find the time and go through the archives again, we'll do those also in a new format. But my perspective now is forward for the next album.


Nitzer Ebb support act on "Tour of the Universe"

October 16, 2009 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)


Photo by: Karin Wallström (Release)

We are sure many Release readers are happy to hear that Nitzer Ebb will once again support a Depeche Mode tour. Nitzer Ebb join the "Tour of the Universe" between the January 9 concert in Berlin and the end of February.