News editor: Mikael Kahrle

The "Loveboat" leaves port on October 9


• Now, the new Erasure album is recorded and has a title, "Loveboat", and a (new) release date, October 9. The tracklisting should be: "Freedom", "Where in the World", "Crying in the Rain", "Perchance to Dream", "Alien", "Mad as We Are", "Here in My Heart", "Love Is the Rage", "Catch 22", "Moon & the Sky" and " Surreal".
The first single pick is as earlier reported "Freedom" (September 25). We have listened to some of the songs. "Freedom" is a fast, pretty mainstream song with guitars and choirs. "Crying in the Rain" is less mainstream and has a background of heavy modern electronica. "Moon & the Sky" is a cool twisted pop song, also with a heavy carpet of beats and basslines. "Where in the World" is a typical sad Erasure ballad.
A rumour claims that a duet between Shania Twain and good old Andy Bell is going to be released as a single in the US on October 15. Don't expect it to be true however.
"Pop! - The First 20 Hits" will be re-released on MiniDisc in August.
"Remont" (label: Finiflex) from Egebamyasi (EBY) has been remixed by Vince Clarke. /Mikael Kahrle

Cranes album and side project release scheduled
• The new Cranes album now has a release date: October 24. The band reports that nearly all songs are recorded in demo versions.
Band member Jim Shaw also plan to release an album of his own with instrumental and orchestral music. /Mikael Kahrle, Sussi Pettersson

Electronic music festival in Finland
• For anyone interested in the flourishing Finnish electronic scene, Koneisto provides a great opportunity for investigation. Koneisto ("machinery") is a festival for electronic music being held in Turku, Finland for the first time on August 4 and 5.
Among the Finnish artists performing are Pan Sonic, Jimi Tenor, Giant Robot, Op:l Bastards and Bomfunk MC's. The international names include Plastikman, Luke Slater and José Padilla of Café Del Mar fame. See the homepage for more information: www.koneisto.com. /Mattias Huss

Official release date for Manson's new album


• The official release date for Marilyn Manson's up coming full-length album "Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)" is set to October 17. /Erik Almgren

New Moby compilation
• According to NME, a Moby compilation album featuring the highlights of his decade-long career is set to be released later in the year. The dance star, who has received both critical and public acclaim for his most recent album, "Play", will have the highlights of his partnership with the US label Elektra Records released as an album, tentatively titled "Songs". No exact release date is set. /Erik Almgren

Enter U2:s virtual studio


• U2 is currently in the studio, preparing an album scheduled for the autumn. No release date has been set, although several dates circulate as rumours. The first single will be called "Beautiful" or "Beautiful Day". Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno are producers and Steve Lillywhite, who produced U2:s first three albums, is in charge of mixing.
- It's not plastic. It's not silk. It's heavier than that. It's titanium soul. It's like a Beatles record in that every song feel like a single, Bono says on the new official U2 web site.
There, you can follow the work on the new album via a virtual studio set-up. When the album is close to completion, music clips will be available. Webcams offer views of the studio and in the "Greenroom", the band members share their thoughts. In September, the site will be upgraded to a complete U2 site. /Mikael Kahrle

Line-up for the new Synthstock Festival in Salt Lake City
• As previously reported, the Synthstock festival in Salt Lake City has been moved from July 19 to August 24. A new line-up has now been released with Paul Humphreys from OMD, Berlin, Anything Box and Real Life. /Mikael Kahrle

Bertelsmann takes over CDNow
• Internet web shop CDNow has had financial problems for a long a time and now the Bertelsmann Group (with BMG) buys the well-known company. /Mikael Kahrle

Calyx Records delivers three new synthpop releases
• The synthpop label Calyx Records delivers three new releases this summer. Page of Quire and Condition One comes back with new albums. And newcomers Mad M from Berlin offers their debut EP.
All three bands presented their new material at a Depeche Mode party in (my hometown) Neubrandenburg and were well received by the audience. /Jens Krause

Metropolis reissue and "SubOut" US edition


• Metropolis Records plan to re-release Kevorkian Death Cycle's first 1997 album "Collection for Injection" on September 12. The record has been sold-out for a long time and the new edition will be re-mastered and offers updated artwork and bonus tracks. Kevorkian Death Cycle is a politically motivated industrial rock act notably influenced by Skinny Puppy.
Also on September 12, Metropolis puts out a US release of the Waldorf compilation "SubOut", most known for offering a new instrumental track from Front 242. See previous News entry in May. /Mikael Kahrle

Loose Cure plans
• According to an interview on the Belgian TV channel TMF, Robert Smith is thinking a The Cure compilation with single extra songs might be a good idea. They are also considering a final tour for the band, before they split up. /Mikael Kahrle

Aphex Twin once again teams up with director Chris Cunningham
• According to NME, Aphex Twin, aka Richard James, and long-time collaborator and video director Chris Cunningham have teamed up again to create a short film as an art installation. Their feature forms part of the "Apocalypse" exhibition running at London's Royal Academy from September 23 to December 15.
The 17-minute Cunningham-helmed film is accompanied by brand new music by James. And it marks the director's first original work since giving up music promo video making, following Björk's celebrated "All Is Full of Love", to move into feature films. His best known works with Aphex Twin are the videos for "Come to Daddy" and "'Windowlicker". /Erik Almgren

Martin Gore helps Propaganda
• Martin Gore, who rarely works with other artists, plays the guitar on a new song from electronic legends Propaganda. Depeche Mode producer Tim Simenon has produced the song, recorded in London and mixed in Düsseldorf.
Propaganda have been planning a come-back for years, but we still have no release date for the new album. However, German re-releases of "A Secret Wish" and "Wishful Thinking" are on their way via Repetoire Records. /Mikael Kahrle

Growing Metropolis roster


Ravenous.

• The successful US label Metropolis has added six bands to their large roster: Wolfsheim, Icon of Coil, Suicide Commando, Cassandra Complex, Sophya and Ravenous. The three latter will have their current albums released in USA on September 26. /Mikael Kahrle

Absurd Minds smash newcomers in the German EBM scene
• Few bands have had the same impact on the German EBM dance floors lately as Absurd Minds. The maxi-CD "Brainwash" has hit like a bomb and the guys have also been convincing at festival gigs. The debut album is planned for the autumn.
Absurd Minds makes music in the tradition of Project Pitchfork and Trial. They should not be mixed up with Absent Minds, a band known for supporting Leœther Strip live. Some insiders expect Absurd Minds to be the German electro newcomer of 2000. /Jens Krause

New single and delayed album from Suicide Commando
• The release of the new Suicide Commando album "Mind Strip" has been pushed roughly a month until mid-October. Instead they will release a follow-up single, "Hellraiser", to the successful "Comatose Delusion" single in September. A remix by Ronan Harris from VNV Nation will be included.
They will also undertake a German tour together with Dive in the end of October, to perform the new material live. /Erik Almgren

Garbage ready to record new album


• Garbage have chosen 14 out of 30 new songs to record for a new album, scheduled for an early 2001 release. /Mikael Kahrle

American Synthpop Awards winners
• The winners in the first American Synthpop Awards have been picked.
Best North American band, Iris; album, Iris: "Disconnect"; single/song, Cosmicity: "Self Involved"; 12" remix, Cosmicity "Too Far Gone (Extremely No Good Mix)"; international band, Rational Youth. /Mikael Kahrle

Westbam's "Computerstaat" tribute to DAF
• The DJ star Westbam has made a song called "Computerstaat", together with the VJ Niels Ruf, from the German TV channel VIVA 2. The song is minimalistic, very electronic and reminiscent of the eighties - it sounds like a tribute to electro veterans DAF. /Jens Krause

Covenant, Kent and Teddybears Sthlm in new festival film


• The Swedish film "Festival" is being made as we speak and scenes were taken at this year's Arvika Festival. The film takes place during 72 hours on a music festival and it will premiere next year.
The soundtrack is (probably) going to include Covenant, Kent, The Wannadies, Andreas Johnson, Teddybears Sthlm, Sahara Hotnights, Bergman Rock and Caesar's Palace. Jörgen Cremonese (ex-Whipped Cream) is composing music for a rock musician feautured in the film. /Mikael Kahrle

The police consider to shut down Arvika Festival
• Due to the large number of drug arrests (56) during this years festival in Arvika, the local police is considering to recommend to stop future festivals. They are also considering a higher age limit. The festival's future and the drug problems will be discussed in a meeting in August between the organisers, the police and the local authorities. /Mikael Kahrle

242 new Front 242 T-shirts
• If Front 242 will record new material or not is still debated. In the meantime they continue to play live and have also printed a new exclusive T-shirt - in 242 copies. See http://www.front242.com/phrase/ or direct via http://www.synergydesign.net/rants-tshirt/. /Jens Krause

Details on the new P J Harvey album
• The new P J Harvey album (we wrote about in March) will be titled "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea" and will show up in October on Island Records (Universal). It's produced by Mick Harvey and Rob Ellis. Radiohead's Thom Yorke has been involved in three tracks considered for inclusion on the record, but the track list is not set as of now. /Mikael Kahrle

Arvika Festival record


Blixa Bargeld and Einstürzende Neubauten headlined the Arvika Festival for the second time.
Photo by: Ali Kepenek

• Last weekend's Arvika Festival (Sweden) sold nearly 9 500 tickets - a new record. Fields of the Nephilim cancelled their planned visit on short notice (Carl McCoy was ill). But Einstürzende Neubauten, Laibach, Moby, Karl Bartos and dozens of other interesting acts made way for perhaps the strongest Arvika line-up ever. Stand by for a report. /Mikael Kahrle

New release date for Alphaville live album
• In May, we told you about the forthcoming live album "Stark Naked & Absolutely Live!" from Alphaville. The release has been moved from June to August 15 (SPV). /Mikael Kahrle

The very best of Love Like Blood compiled
• SPV has scheduled a best of compilation with goth rockers Love Like Blood, called "Swordlilies". /Mikael Kahrle

Synthpop compilation with Iris and Blue October
• The webzine Grinding into Emptiness plan to release a synthpop compilation in the near future. It will be called "Data Structure", delivered in a DVD casing and among the participants are Iris, Pete Byrne, Edge to Life and Blue October. /Mikael Kahrle

Machine monotony for the strong-hearted
• The new Sonar album "Remote Assault" arrived from Daft Records. It will not be released until September 1, though. Sonar is Dirk Ivens and Eric van Wonterghem and we're talking about cool electronic rhythmic monotony, like an instrumental extreme version of Dive. Remixes from among others Imminent are included and Sonar plan to play several concerts in September. /Mikael Kahrle