News editor: Mikael Kahrle

Depeche Mode takes Route 66 once again

Depeche Mode are happy with their new video.
Photo by: Anton Corbijn

• The video clip for the new Depeche Mode single "Dream on" is in post production. It was shot together with the trio during February 17-18 and is made by Depeche Mode debutant Stephane Dednaoui. Anton Corbijn is responsible for the new printed artwork and some pictures (like the one above), but not the first video. Excerpts of his new work can be seen on the official D M site.
The "Dream on" footage was taken near Barstow, between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The classic Route 66 passed here in the past (now the Route 66 roads have different names). Not a beautiful setting, if you ask me (I was there in November), but it will give the video the clichéd "cool car in American desert" look. The video will show David Gahan driving a black Lincoln Continental with Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore as passengers. The video is believed to be mysterious and somewhat experimental.
- We're all anxious to see the end result, Fletcher says.
The video will be sent out shortly after the single, which will be launched by radio in mid-March. A Belgian station is reported to play "Dream on" already though. /Mikael Kahrle

Dubstar is no longer

One of three Dubstars: Sarah Blackwood.

• Pop trio Dubstar will release their third album "Make It Better" on March 3 via EMI. The most recent single is "The Most Self Thing". This data is for Sweden and we're not sure if it's the same in other territories. The album was, however, first put out in the UK last autumn. The band then split up in December, according to their label Food Records.
On "Make It Better", Dubstar are true to their cute electronic, British pop sound but they have actually thrown in some tougher elements here and there. Their good-looking site offers album song clips, among many other things. We are, of course, working on a review. /Mikael Kahrle

Teddybears Sthlm leaves MNW for Sony

• Swedish alternative rock act Teddybears Sthlm has left MNW for Sony Music. This solves a dispute the band had with MNW and makes it easier for the band to reach farther outside Scandinavia. Teddybears Sthlm's latest album "Rock'n'roll Highschool" (see review) has sold 65 000 copies up to this date and they recently won four Swedish Grammy awards. /Mikael Kahrle

Neon Judgement member played millennium festival in Libya
• Not long ago, we told you about The Neon Judgement and we promised to get back on member Dirk DaDavo's solo projects.
During 1999, DaDavo started his own record label called DanceDelic-D and a solo project named Neon Electronics. He released a CD, only available through the net.
- Bad experiences with record labels we were signed to in the last, made me do this. It's nice to have total control, he says.
This CD, "Electromotion", is about to be "officially" released in April. Expect old school techno mixed with electronica and house as well as the electro groove trademark sound of Neon Judgement. A single, "U B There", is also to be expected in both 12" and CD formats.
Neon Electronics has played some live shows. On New Years Eve 1999, he performed at a millennium festival in the Libyan desert (!).
DaDavo also has another project, NeoNite. Here, he has, among other things, picked up material made by him and his Neon Judgement partner T B Frank in the side project Headrum 1994-95. It seems, not only American bands are into all kinds of side projects.
More on all this can be found on the newly launched The Neon Home. /Mikael Kahrle

Fear Factory once again produced by Rhys Fulber

• The Fear Factory album called "Digimortal" has been in production for some time, but now the work in the studio is completed. Rhys Fulber is once again producing the album, together with Fear Factory. The sound is more focused this time around, as the band didn’t want the songs to be as complex as they used to be.
"Digimortal" consists of ten tracks, one of them featuring B-Real from Cypress Hill. In addition, a limited edition digipak with four bonus tracks will be available. The album is scheduled for release on April 24 by Roadrunner Records. The track "Linchpin" will be released as a single, but there is no known date.
On March 19, Fear Factory will begin a tour of Europe, doing about 25 shows. /Johan Carlsson

Foetus and side project albums on their way
• The long awaited new Foetus album "Flow" finally seems to be on its way. We who witnessed the "Clams on Brillo 2000" mini tour last autumn were lucky enough to get previews of a few songs, and the actual album will be out on Ectopic Ents, via Thirsty Ear on April 17 in the US, and via Vielklang on April 23 in Europe.
Jim Thirlwell also has a new side project, Manorexia. An instrumental album has been recorded, and will be released through the Foetus web site at around the same time as "Flow". /Kristoffer Noheden

Das Ich to Metropolis

• Das Ich have now joined the Metropolis stable, and their first release on the label will a reissue of the album “Re-Laborat” on May 8. This version will include the extra track “Re-Animat”, which is previously unavailable. /Johan Carlsson

A mix of Prodigy and Cubanate
• Hard German act No Skillz are here with their new album "Running Wild" on the Stuttgart label Sturmhöhe. The album has not only made music journalists on German music magazines impressed and surprised. It has also made an impact on club floors. "Running Wild" contains twelve tracks with electronic hard beats and rap-like vocals. No Skillz could be described as a mix of The Prodigy and Cubanate. /Jens Krause

Metropolis to reissue Die Form back catalogue
• If you are trying to complete your collection of Die Form records there is now time for rejoicing, as Metropolis will release the bands entire back catalogue. They start on May 8 with “AKT”, which is a collection of side projects. Every album in the eleven disc series will be completely re-mastered, and will also contain rare and unreleased tracks. /Johan Carlsson

Diorama release new album

• German one-man project Diorama, consisting of Torben Wendt, is releasing a new album on Accession Records called “Her Liquid Arms”. Release date is set to April 20. /Johan Carlsson

Psyche take sanctuary at Accession Records
• As we have told you before, synth legends Psyche have switched label to Accession Records. Their first release on the label will be the single "Sanctuary". In addition to the original version, there will also be two remixes plus one extra track. A new album called "The Hiding Place" will be out in June.
Psyche also have some live dates in Europe coming up later in the year, and hopefully they will do some dates in North America too. They keep themselves busy by working with other artists as well. They are currently remixing Icon of Coil's "Everlasting", and singer Darrin Huss will work with Sara Noxx on a cover version of Falco's "Jeanny Pt.1". /Johan Carlsson

Internet only VNV Nation track
• British electro band VNV Nation has just released an Internet only remix of their track “Cold”, first available on the debut album “Advance and Follow”. You’ll find it on their official homepage as a MP3. /Johan Carlsson

The veil of mist around Björk's new album is shrinking

• Björk is busy finishing up her new album “Vespertine” (new title) to be released in May. The album is produced by Björk herself, and mixed by Mark “Spike” Stent. /Johan Carlsson

Double platinum once again for Him?

Ville Valo with his usual "lost-in-space" look.

• Finnish alternative rock stars Him have been in the studio recording and testing new songs.
- We plan to have a new album released by the latest in the latter part of August. There will be single releases before that. The first one is scheduled for April or May, front man Ville Valo tells Release.
The next European tour starts on September 17. They recently played some dates in Scandinavia and are making plans for several summer festival gigs, like Rock am Ring/Rock im Park in Germany in June. Him are almost unknown in some countries like Sweden, but huge stars in for example Germany.
- The German record label was the first to pick us up and they've been working hard. Also Viva and MTV Central have been very helpful. We have had both number one album and single chart positions there. The album has sold platinum (triple gold, 450 000 copies) in Germany and also double platinum in Finland. Gold in Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland and Greece, Valo says proudly.
All in all, Him sold over one million albums last year. It remains to be seen if the new album can beat this. /Mikael Kahrle

Apoptygma Berzerk leave longtime companion Tatra Records
• After eight years closely linked to Tatra Records, Stephan Groth’s Apoptygma Berzerk now leave the label for the new Hard:drive. The label has good connections to Metropolis for the US and Canadian market, as well as Warner’s Eastwest Records for the rest of the world.
The first release on Hard:drive is believed to be "APBL2000" by Apoptygma Berzerk, a live VHS, CD and DVD from the “Welcome to Earth Tour”. Meanwhile, work continues on the new album with the working title “More Seritonin… Please”. /Johan Carlsson

"Failure" with Assemblage 23 in March

Not happy today, are you?

• Assemblage 23 are now finished with the follow-up to the debut album, “Contempt”. The second effort, “Failure” is going to be released on March 30 by Accession Records. It's about hard electronic dance music in the vein of Covenant and VNV Nation. /Johan Carlsson

Exclusive. Bill Leeb: Delerium on world tour

• The new Delerium disc "Poem" will be released in Europe in April or May, as they are waiting for single remixes to be completed. First single to be taken off the album will be "Innocente", featuring Leigh Nash from Sixpence None the Richer. It will contain remixes by Deep Dish, DJ Tiesto, Lost Witness and Mr Sam.
- Delerium is my main project now. We are contemplating a world wide tour later in the year to support "Poem", Bill Leeb (above) reveals to Release.
The duo has also taken time during the "Poem" sessions, to finish a new Front Line Assembly album. Bill comments the sound:
- The new Front Line is going to be a real operatic/classical drum'n'bass ethereal experience.
According to his partner Chris Peterson, they will hopefully start mixing the album within a month or so. This will be their last album on Metropolis, and then they will start looking for a new label.
Bill also says the side projects are dead, and he’s concentrating more on production and remixing now. Two results of this are Aude’s self-titled debut album produced by both Bill and Chris, and a remix of Tara McLean’s "Divided". Aude is a French artist who also lends her voice to "Terra Firma" on "Poem". Universal France will release the album soon. Tara McLean is an artist in the Nettwerk stable. "Divided" is a track from her latest album "Passenger". /Johan Carlsson

Douglas McCarthy's Empirion cooperation to be released
• Atomic Reactor plan to release a 12" by the new dance act KLOQ. KLOQ is made up of members from techno act Empirion and the 12" has Douglas McCarthy (ex-Nitzer Ebb) on vocals, all this according to Side-Line. /Mikael Kahrle

Björk nominated for an Academy Award

Photo by: Mari A and Marcus Piggot

• Björk is nominated for an Academy Award in the category for “Best original song”, and will be performing the song in question, “I’ve Seen It All”, at the awards together with a 55-piece orchestra. The award show is to be held in Los Angeles on March 25. /Johan Carlsson

Award times
• The votes for the Swedish Alternative Music Awards 2001 have been counted. Four candidates in each category have been released, the four with most votes in random order. Eddie Bengtsson will present the final result at the, now sold-out, event on March 3 in Gothenburg.
Newcomer 2000: Håkan Hellström, Moulin Noir, Sadovaja, Skinny.
Live artist: Page, Pluxus, S.P.O.C.K, Sista mannen på jorden.
Song: The April Tears: ”Model, Actress, Whatever", Covenant: ”Dead Stars”, Kent: ”Chans”, S.P.O.C.K: ”Where Rockets Fly”.
Album: Covenant: ”United States Of Mind”, Robot: ”Fake or Real”, Sista mannen på jorden: ”Luft”, Teddybears Sthlm: ”Rock'n'roll Highschool”.
Artist: Covenant, Håkan Hellström, Pluxus, Teddybears Sthlm.
Teddybears Sthlm received Swedish Grammy awards yesterday in the album, pop/rock artist and producer categories. Antiloop was awarded for best club/dance. /Mikael Kahrle

Tapeworm launch not until the autumn
• We have previously reported about Trent Reznor’s delayed side project Tapeworm. The latest bid is that they will release their as yet untitled debut album in the autumn. The album will feature Danny Lohner and Charlie Clouser, long-term companions of Trent. The recording will also feature a song together with Tool and another with Maynard James Keenan from A Perfect Circle. /Johan Carlsson

New Camouflage single and compilation

Camouflage is once again a trio, but their productivity hasn't increased. But now, things are happening.

• On April 2, German pop veterans Camouflage are going to deliver a yet unnamed new single. It is produced by Toy, a producer trio with Kerry Hopwood, Dave Clayton and Q, known from their work with Depeche Mode. Camouflage will record two more songs with Toy in London in March.
Germans can buy a new Camouflage compilation from February 26 and onwards. It's a CD/DVD in 7 000 copies called "Rewind". It contains all videos from 1987-95, digitally remastered music, liner notes, specials and photos. Camouflage have released both a video and CD compilation in the past.
Band member Marcus Meyn has also helped Resistance D on their single "You There Were", to be released on Monday. /Mikael Kahrle

New single from sampler maniac Max Tundra
• Whacky dance eclectic Max Tundra will return with a new single, "QY20 Songs", on February 26 (Domino). /Kristoffer Noheden

Rhys Fulber conjures up a solo album
• After he quit Front Line Assembly it has been a bit quiet around Rhys Fulber, but he's certainly not been lazy. He has produced albums for artists such as Fear Factory, Tea Party and Yes, as well as remixing Paradise Lost, Megadeth and many more.
Now he is putting the finishing touches to his own project called Conjure One. He is currently mixing the album, and hopefully it will be released by Nettwerk soon. Dutch DJ/producer Junkie XL will assist with the producing. The sound is “ambient, epic with pop structures” according to an interview in Altercation magazine. Other hints of what it is going to sound like can be found on www.delerium.com. There you’ll find the track “Conjure One” remixed by Max Graham. /Johan Carlsson

Covenant on American "Tour de Force" with And One

And One at SEMA.
Photo by: Peter Åstedt (Release)

• Swedish band Covenant is preparing a tour of USA and Canada in April. They will play 19 dates between April 6 and April 29. Special guests will be no others than German synthpoppers And One.
Things are going well for Covenant these days, as their newly released live album, "Synergy", is at the top of the Deutsche Alternative Charts, and has been there for six weeks. In addition to this, they appear in the Swedish movie "Festival" and will perform in Rome on May 5. Covenant can't be found on the Virgin "Festival" compilation, however. /Johan Carlsson

And One: no support act for Depeche Mode
• In Germany, a there's a consistent rumour out that And One should play support act for Depeche Mode on their German tour this autumn. And One's Steve Naghavi:
- That is complete crap. Definitely not! /Jens Krause

L’ame Immortelle hits the charts
• German darkwave band L’ame Immortelle has entered the German charts at number 48 with their newly released album “Dann Habe Ich Umsonst Gelebt”. The band is currently on tour in Germany together with Janus and Flesh Field. /Johan Carlsson