New Kraftwerk release this month?



• It seems an interesting Kraftwerk compilation package will be released shortly, perhaps as early as later this month.
The item in question is a combined book and CD called "A Short Introduction to Kraftwerk". It is said to contain previously unreleased versions of songs recorded over 20 years ago. The rights don't belong to EMI anymore, instead Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider own them. A company called Sonic Books will release "An Introduction to Kraftwerk", which also will contain a 88 page booklet. It will be available from web shops only, as it seems. We have no release date, except "late May". The Kraftwerk web site still have no information regarding the release. Be prepared for possible delays.
The tracklisting should be: "It's More Fun to Compute", "Kristallo", "Autobahn", "Hall of Mirrors", "Radioactivity", "Uranium" and last but not least "Das Model".
We haven't received any more details on the new album or live performances.
Florian Schneider is now a professor in media, arts and performance at the Academy of Design in Karlsruhe. He did his first two lectures in June last year. /Mikael Kahrle

Karl Bartos plays Kraftwerk songs at Expo 2000
• Apparently, there will be no Kraftwerk performance at Expo 2000 in Hannover. The world fair has instead hired Karl Bartos, who will perform Kraftwerk and solo songs on October 2 and 3. Bartos will also visit the Arvika Festival in Sweden in July and most likely some other festivals. /Mikael Kahrle

Modified Celebrate the Nun comeback
• Celebrate the Nun released two albums, "Meanwhile" (1989) and "Continuous" (1991), and became cult declared in the synthpop scene with their very catchy sound. Two of the original members, H. P. Baxxter and Rick Jordan, then went on to form Scooter, a band you're probably more familiar with.
This year will see the appearance of Celebrate the None, with one of the members from the first album, Slin Thompson. He will be accompanied by two other members and the idea is to record some "covers" of old Celebrate the Nun songs as well as new ones.
The original Celebrate the Nun albums are now out of print and rare collector's items. /Niklas Forsberg

New trance label called Oval
• Stockholm's Goldhead Music has started a new label for trance and house called Oval. Among their first releases: on May 29, they schedule an Astral Projection single called "Burning up". /Mikael Kahrle

Two new Zoth Ommog releases
• The Frankfurt label Zoth Ommog is back on the track. German electro/synthpop band X-Act will release a new album this summer. The eleven track disc is simply called "3", and is due out on June 26 on Zoth Ommog.
Another Zoth Ommog band called Strategy will deliver the album "Assignment" on the same date. Strategy is a one-man project with a member from the Austrian electro band Trylok. /Niklas Forsberg

Duran Duran returns with their twelfth album
• On June 13, Duran Duran will be back with their twelfth album release - and their first on Hollywood Records. The disc is called "Pop Trash" and is said to be the most straightforward Duran Duran release to date.
- The statements on it are probably the most honest we've ever been, front man Simon Le Bon says.
The twelve songs were written and recorded in London. The first single choice is "Someone Else Not Me" (May 22), a very traditional and slow radio piece.
Duran Duran were formed in Birmingham 1979 and named after a character in the cult movie "Barbarella". The band is most known as one of the most important pop band of the eighties. The line up 2000 is Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Warren Cuccurullo. /Mikael Kahrle

Zombie and Amos on "M:I-2" soundtrack


• The soundtrack for "Mission: Impossible 2" was released on May 9 in the US and today in Europe. The disc contains "music from and inspired by" the movie, and that turns out to be mostly energetic American rock.
For Release readers, the most interesting contributions might be a brand new and typical Rob Zombie track "Scum of the Earth" and the songs "Carnival" by Tori Amos (pic) and "They Came in" by Butthole Surfers (lovely name). The song most people will talk about is probably the new Metallica piece "I Disappear", scheduled to be the second single release from "M:I-2".
The actual movie will start running on May 24 in USA. As usual much later in the rest of the world, although the soundtrack has been released almost simultaneously worldwide. /Mikael Kahrle

First signing to Manson's new label


Godhead.
Photo by: J Marlow

• Marilyn Manson has made the first signing to his newly created record label, Posthuman Records. The initiates is Washington band Godhead, whose new Danny Saber-produced album, "Two Thousand Years of Human Error", will be released at the end of the year. /Erik Almgren

New Pain single in June
• Swedish major company industrial project Pain, will deliver a new single in June, "On and on". /Mikael Kahrle

Successful Covenant tour makes way for live release
• Covenant has just completed a successful European tour. About mid-tour the band and their German record label Dependent decided it was time to record material for a live release. The plans are as follows: a live disc as well as a box with the disc and a video in a limited edition will be released in the end of the year. Dependent claims that the sound is brilliant.
Earlier this year Covenant held the number one position on the German alternative charts for five weeks straight with their single "Der Leiermann". /Mikael Kahrle

Third album from Portishead
• Bristol-pioneers Portishead is said to be entering the studio in the early summer to commence work on the follow-up to 1997's eponymous second album. No release date is set. /Erik Almgren

Bowie surprise gigs?
• The Glastonbury Festival in UK celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. David Bowie has been invited to perform at the closing night of the three day long festival. Rumours say that Bowie also will be playing a couple of surprise gigs in New York during June. /Sussi Pettersson

Pig teams up with Elastica member for cover project



• Raymond Watts, veteran of KMFDM and Pig fame, has started up a cover project under the name Pig Orchestra. The band features members of Elastica and Swervedriver, as well as Raymond's brother Mike Watts. Among the songs recorded thus far is an acoustic cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole" and a Billie Holiday sounding take on KMFDM's "Disobedience" (which Watts CO-wrote in the first place).
The latest Pig album "Genuine American Monster", originally released in Japan last December, might see a US release this summer. It may be coupled with the depraved twister "Spank the Monkey" as well as a bonus CD of instrumental music. /Kristoffer Noheden

Funhouse future live and record plans
• Swedish goth act Funhouse plan to play live England, Poland as well as at Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig. June 27 is the date for the US release "Ocean of Tears" and in August "The Second Coming" will be put out in Germany. /Mikael Kahrle

Four year anniversary for Gothenburg new romantic club
• The popular Gothenburg new romantic and retro electronics club Romo Night look forward to celebrate their four year anniversary on May 26. Romo Night is the oldest of Gothenburg's around eight clubs with synthpop, EBM, gothic and similar profile.
The veteran Stockholm project Moulin Noir will play live at the anniversary and they also hope to deliver their new album at the same time. The single "I Can't Sleep" is out now. /Mikael Kahrle

Ex Prodigy member solo project details
• Ex Prodigy member, Leeroy Thornhill, releases his debut solo release "The Twisted EP", under his new moniker Flightcrank on June 12.
The four track EP features the production skills of reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry who invited Leeroy to his own studio in Switzerland, where they worked on a remix of the title track. The rest of the EP was recorded at Leeroy's home studio in Essex.
The dub reggae-influenced release also features vocals from Diane Charlemaine who sang on Goldie's 1994 single "Inner City Life". /Erik Almgren

Tivoli Festival this year as well
• The one day electronic event, The Tivoli Festival, in Helsingborg, Sweden, will be organised this year as well. But it is moved forward to August 12. Artists will be released shortly. The festival is an initiative by ex Elegant Machinery man Richard Johansson. /Mikael Kahrle

Holmes makes soundtrack for big Hollywood production
• Producer and DJ David Holmes will release his third solo album, "Bow Down to the Exit Sign", on June 11 through Go!Beat. Bobby Gillespie and Jon Spencer will be featured as quest vocalists.
He will also write the soundtrack to the remake of "Ocean's Eleven", a Stephen Soderbergh-directed film starring Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. The movie as well as the soundtrack are due to next year. /Erik Almgren, Kristoffer Noheden

Sony and Universal launches download service
• Two of the world's major record companies, Sony and Universal, announce that they will launch a service where customers will be given access to download music from a library for a subscription fee. The service will be activated later this year. /Mikael Kahrle

32 Trance Allstars tracks on one double album
• Trance Allstars is a team of six trance artists like Talla 2XLC, Schiller and ATB. On May 8, Edel releases "Worldwide" - a double CD with 32 tracks. The single "The First Rebirth" is already out and "Ready to Flow" follows shortly. /Mikael Kahrle

Emerson leaves Underworld
• Darren Emerson has finally left Underworld, after months of talk and rumours. The remaining members plan to continue with "business as usual" including summer festival gigs. They don't search for a replacement. /Mikael Kahrle

"Freedom" next single pick for De/Vision



• De/Vision will deliver their second "Void" single on May 15, "Freedom". The single will contain a single edit, an Oomph! remix and a Jeff Sauber remix of "Remember".
The band is considering live releases from their new tour, a live CD and video, but nothing is decided as of now. /Mikael Kahrle