Autumn release for P J Harvey?
• P J Harvey will soon start recording a follow-up to her 1998 album "Is This Desire?", with long-time collaborators Rob Ellis and Mick Harvey (from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds). An autumn release is possible. /Erik Almgren

• The Swedish pop band Mobile Homes is back with the new single “It’s All for the Best”. It’s currently spinning on radio and will be released in the end of this week, by their new record company Sprinkler.
- It’s possible we release another single in April or May and if all goes well an album can be out in the beginning of the summer, Per Liliefeldt says to Release. /Mikael Kahrle

New EBM album from Terminal Choice

• The hard German EBM band Terminal Choice are about to release a new album titled "Ominous Future", which also will be available in a limited edition. Their latest single "No Chance" are climbing high in the German Alternative Charts (DAC). /Johan Astemark

Smashing Pumpkins single out now

• The Smashing Pumpkins has just released the single "Stand Inside Your Love". This is the first single track from the new album, "Machina/the Machines of God" (co-produced by Flood). The single also features the previously unreleased track "Speed Kills". /Erik Almgren

Rammstein locked up in basement

• Rammstein have finished around 20 new songs and are soon heading for final studio recordings. They have been working six days a week from 11-6 in a basement without windows. /Mikael Kahrle

Manson covers Manson

• Marilyn Manson has covered a song written by convicted murderer Charles Manson, entitled “Sick City”. The song, which Marilyn Manson has described as "an impromptu Valentine's Day gift to fans", has been posted exclusively on Manson's website. He does not plan to include it on his forthcoming studio album, "In The Shadow of the Valley of Death", which he is currently in the process of recording. /Erik Almgren

Vote for Neubauten live songs

• Fans can vote for five songs from Einstürzende Neubauten’s whole career on their web site. The band will then choose from the voting result when they decide which tracks to perform on their anniversary gig in Berlin’s Columbiahalle on April 1. Exactly 20 years before this date, the band played live for the first time.
The concert will be broadcasted live over Internet. Three days after the anniversary, the new double album ”Silence Is Sexy” is out in the stores.
A video is also being made for the song “Sabrina”, together with cult director John Hillcoat. /Mikael Kahrle

• This Wednesday, the new Kent single “En himmelsk drog” was released. It contains the bonus song “Om gyllene år”, featuring Peter Svensson of The Cardigans on guitar.
This spring, Kent’s latest album “Hagnesta Hill” is going to be released in other parts of Europe except for Scandinavia and it’s time for the US release in the autumn. /Mikael Kahrle

New promising Bloodline band

• Newly formed German label Bloodline has, among its other influential bands, found a promising newcomer. Klirrfaktor is a duo playing melodic, hard, dancefriendly synthpop and their debut single "Bis der Arzt kommt" will be out on March 20. The debut album, "Kunststoff", will follow later this Spring. /Niklas Forsberg

German Recoil site

• The main Recoil site Shunt is covering almost everything regarding Alan Wilder and his Recoil. Now there is also a German extensive Recoil site at http://www.alanwilder.de, authorized by Alan Wilder. /Mikael Kahrle

Ravenous back after label switch

• German electro trio Ravenous has signed with Bloodline and their third, yet nameless, album will be released on April 17. They released their last single "Silverray" last autumn. /Niklas Forsberg

Sadovaja debut countdown

• Memento Materia hope they can deliver Swedish female fronted electronica duo Sadovaja’s debut album “Kill Your Darlings” later in March, or in April. /Mikael Kahrle

VNV Nation single and rereleases

• The successful English EBM act VNV Nation has picked the song “Standing” from their latest album “Empires” to be released as a single. The single will be made in two versions: one normal with three versions of “Standing” and the track “Radius” and one in a limited edition of 3000 copies. This edition will contain both the regular single and a CD with alternate versions of “Empires” songs. A release party will be held in the German city Gelsenkirchen on March 18.
VNV Nation label Dependent will also rerelease “Praise the Fallen” and “Solitary EP”. /Mikael Kahrle

• The second Melotron album "Fortschritt" is out in their home country Germany and will be out in Scandinavia on March 13. It contains more of the bands' “synthpop with EBM influences”. They still exclusively use their native language, German. /Niklas Forsberg

Reformed Syntec looking for new deal

• The former Machinery Records band Syntec is back on the track and they have recorded some new songs that they have sent to different labels. The new material is pure synthpop. /Jens Krause

Busy days for Annelie Bertilsson

• Cat Rapes Dog have started writing material for their next album.
- I was very satisfied with our last album “People As Prey” and the new sound will be a continuation from that. The album will be out in the Autumn at the earliest, Annelie Bertilsson says to Release.
Cat Rapes Dog used Christer Hermondsson from S.P.O.C.K as producer on “People as Prey” and he will be hired once again. He is also the man behind the new And One single “Wasted” (out now) and album, “Virgin Superstars”. An And One tour will follow.
- It starts in the middle of April and lasts to the finale in Berlin on May 27. Around 25 gigs, all in all, says the new member.
Then And One will play several festival gigs like Arvika and Hildesheim (ex-Zillo Festival).
Annelie we will also find time to work on her own clothes brand Moosewear and hope to be able to take some big steps for Moosewear this summer. On April 1, she will have another fashion show at Swedish Alternative Music Awards.
- But I actually have more time now than before. After I joined And One I can dedicate myself to these projects.
And what about being a girl in two otherwise male bands in a male electronic world?
- Well, I have accepted that I’m a sex object, but that’s OK as long as at least the people I work with, knows that I possess other qualities and respect me. Steve and the guys in And One were careful at first, but I surprised them by telling rougher and meaner typical male jokes than they do. /Mikael Kahrle

Interesting soundtrack from “The Beach” out now

• There have been much talk about the soundtrack for the new Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach”. Now it’s here.
You have probably heard the smash hit “Pure Shores” from All Saints, but the rest of the soundtrack is mostly based upon alternative artists including new and exclusive tracks from New Order, Underworld, Orbital (together with Angelo Badalamenti), Leftfield and Faithless. Moby, Barry Adamson, Blur and UNKLE are other artists that contribute with songs. /Mikael Kahrle

Popular German club

• Gotenklang at Alten Gerberei in Rostock has quickly become a highlight among North German electro party events. All kinds of electro, industrial, noise and goth are played on two dancefloors once a month. On April 1 Cryptic Carnage will appear live and on May 6 Reclaim will play. There will also be a Gotenklang summer festival between June 30 and July 2. /Jens Krause, Mikael Kahrle

Canadian veteran act Moev has returned

• Canada’s Moev had an electropop hit in the eighties with “Wanting”. After a long break they are back on COP International with a new sound and a new, female, vocalist. The new EP “Suffer” offers several new compositions in a modern electronic style. An album is in the making. /Mikael Kahrle

Love Like Blood release plans

• Love Like Blood’s forthcoming album is named “Enslaved & Condemned” and is scheduled for June 5. The songs are produced by Simon Efemey at Jacob’s Studio in Farnham, England. /Mikael Kahrle

• The Kraftwerk concert at the Expo 2000 is definitely cancelled. This has now been confirmed by the Expo hq. Kraftwerk and Expo could not agree on the expenses. /Jens Krause

German synthpop act signed to EMI

• The German synthpop band Second Sight has just signed on to the major EMI Electrola and will soon release a new album and single produced by techno DJ star Mark’Oh. /Jens Krause

Possible Depeche Mode single release later this year

• The work on new Depeche Mode material is progressing and they have completed rough mixes of five new songs together with Gareth Jones. At the moment they have granted themselves a short break however.
Mute Records hope they will be able deliver a new Depeche Mode single late 2000 or early 2001. The new album can not be expected before April or May 2001. /Jens Krause

Avant Garde back on new label

• Synthpop duo Avant Garde returns after a long break with the catchy and poppy single “Watch Your Back”, in Yazoo and Erasure style. They are now signed to US label A Different Drum who will release their second album later this year. /Mikael Kahrle

• The first Leæther Strip release in a long time is due for Monday (and March 20 in Scandinavia). “Carry Me” features seven tracks with a total running time of 41 minutes. The title song is said to satisfy fans of the old, classic Leæther Strip sound and might be a club smasher.
Claus Larsen is currently preparing a new EP with five different songs with the working title “Object Æ”. An album is scheduled for this autumn.
There have also been some talk of live shows. Larsen rarely appears on stage. /Mikael Kahrle, Jens Krause

Paranormal Neuroticfish single

• The new Neuroticfish single "MFAPL (Music for a Paranormal Life)" is out now. It's one of the songs with the most potential on last year's debut album "No Instruments". The single contains two versions of "MFAPL", a alternate version of the album track "Black Again" and a brand new one, "All I Say", which gives this release value. /Niklas Forsberg

Different ADD signing

• American synthpop label A Different Drum has signed a US band called Count to Infinity. This one man project has a single out now, called "Jessica". The sound is significantly darker and more melancholic than most products from ADD. /Niklas Forsberg

And One on air after fan campaign

• And One would like to thank all the fans that have participated in the campaign against the German channel Viva’s refusal to show the new And One clip “Wasted”. Lots of e-mails and phone calls have annoyed the channel and they finally backed and started to run “Wasted” on 20 times per week rotation. /Jens Krause

Neuroactive + The Nine = true

• On “Visualise”, electro act Neuroactive has approached the single format somewhat different manner. The title song has Geoff Pinckney from The Nine on vocals. The Nine has also made one remix and their song “Sanctuary” is included on the CDM. Seven tracks all in all, also including remixes by Count to Infinity, (Active) Media Disease and Neuroactive themselves. “Visualise” is taken from the album “Fiber-Optic Rhythm”. /Mikael Kahrle

• The Swedish alternative female fronted pop act Fidget has just released a strong cover of Trans X’ “Living on Video”.
- We have played the song live for some time and think we have added a nice touch to it. It suits us well because we have always had this music in us, Fidget’s Daniel Claesson says to Release.
The single features an extra track in the same school, called “The Law of Least Resistance”. They have also recorded a version of Human League’s “The Things That Dreams Are Made of". According to the band, this retro synthpop style marks the future direction of Fidget.
Several Swedish alternative bands have shown their electronic eighties roots in new material: Kent, Teddybears Sthlm, Dipper, Caesar’s Palace and Robot to mention but a few. /Mikael Kahrle

Impressive compilation

• The new TCM compilation “Best of Electronic Music Vol 2” features new electronic hits from a huge part of today’s electronic music elite. The music is ranging from Faithless’, Underworld’s and Moby’s techno via S.P.O.C.K’s, Yazoo’s and Camouflage’s pop to Paradise Lost’s, Cat Rapes Dog’s and VNV Nation’s harder electronics.
The compilation is also a smart way to lay your hand on some brand new single songs like In Strict Confidence’s “Kiss Your Shadow” and Melotron’s “Tanz mit dem Teufel”. /Mikael Kahrle

The Unknown soon well known?

• The Berlin dark electronic crossover band The Unknown are touring Germany. After the German dates they leave for five shows in South Africa.
The Unknown are currently in contract negotiations with TVT. The sound of the band is a successful mixture of Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails and The Sisters of Mercy. /Jens Krause

Eighties singer returns with solo effort

• A Different Drum has just released a soft wave pop single with Pete Byrne called “The World in Which We Love”.
Byrne was once a singer in the new wave band Naked Eyes, who had hits like “Always Something There to Remind Me” and “Promises Promises”. An album is likely to follow this summer. /Mikael Kahrle

Mesh live single on the way

• Mesh plan to release a first taste from their forthcoming live album at Swedish Alternative Music Awards on April 1. /Mikael Kahrle