News editor: Mikael Kahrle

David Gahan helped by Alan Wilder on solo album?
• According to German newspaper Nordkurier, Depeche Mode's David Gahan has decided to try to release his since long planned solo album next year. Nordkurier, who talked to Gahan at the Hamburg press conference, says he has asked Alan Wilder for assistance. /Jens Krause, Mikael Kahrle

More on "Dream on"

David Gahan and director Stephane Sednaoui during the making of the "Dream on" video along old Route 66.

• The official Depeche Mode web site has now put up excerpts of remixes from the forthcoming "Dream on" singles. The video premiers these days throughout the world. For example, Swedish National television will show it 22.40 tomorrow, on Friday. /Mikael Kahrle

Karl Bartos and Mobile Homes on tour
• Karl Bartos will play further gigs with his set of Kraftwerk hits and own songs. A five day Scandinavian tour in May (see On Stage) will be made together with Mobile Homes, who he has produced in the past. If it's successful, Bartos will consider a continuation at a later date, for other parts of Europe. German video artist Karsten Binar has worked with the visual side of the show. /Mikael Kahrle

Rational Youth joins Memento Materia

• After some years in the October/Energy Rekords stable, Rational Youth have now joined Memento Materia. The legendary Canadian synthpop band is also working on a new album.
- We have got a few tracks almost completely finished, and several more on the go, main figure Tracy Howe says.
This second album after the comeback is scheduled to see the light of day in the autumn, with an advance single before that. /Johan Carlsson

Interesting side project to Escape with Romeo

- Sing in my new project or else!

• Close Encounters is the name of a side project by Escape with Romeo mastermind Thomas Elbern and singer Stella.The debut singles "Somebody" and "Drifting on Clouds" is now followed by the debut album "Believe" (Bloodline). The ten tracks is in beautiful electronic wave pop style. Close Encounters is currently support act for Escape with Romeo on a German tour. /Jens Krause

Norwegian synthpop newcomers ready for the world

• Echo Image's debut album "Compuphonic" just arrived from A Different Drum. This Norwegian synthpop trio is signed to this label in USA and has distribution in Europe via Bloodline. The album will be put out in Germany a little later, on April 23. The Germans are currently discovering the single "Need to be Proud", originally released - and reviewed by us - in October. Niklas Forsberg gave it a nine and called Echo Image "Norway's best synthpoppers by a mile".
Echo Image are working on the Limahl song "Neverending Story" for the Synthphony Records 80:ies cover compilation. They also intend to release a second single in May: "Skulk", with remixes from countrymen Sweep and Icon of Coil. /Mikael Kahrle, Jens Krause

Silke Bischoff assisted by John Fryer
• The German band Silke Bischoff are working on their next album "Phönix From the Flames". John Fryer, who has worked with Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and Paradise Lost amongst others, is assisting. A single called "Felix in the Sky" will be issued on April 2, followed by the album on May 28. The E-Wave label will handle both releases. /Johan Carlsson

Bel Canto: best of, new album and anniversary show

• Norwegian Bel Canto are soon releasing a "best of" collection, and are also planning to record a new album in the fall or winter of this year. The band will make an anniversary concert at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo, Norway, on March 29. /Johan Carlsson

New compilation series from Bloodline

Enforce: last band out on "New Forms of Synthetic Pop", with an exclusive song.

• There are fewer releases of electronic music compilation these days. However, German label Bloodline has launched a new series.
The first CD is named "New Forms of Electronic Body Music" with acts like Velvet Acid Christ, Funker Vogt, Absurd Minds and Terminal Choice. The second CD, "New Forms of Synthetic Pop", offers tunes from Enforce, Icon of Coil, S.P.O.C.K, Melotron and others. The third product will be "New Forms of Industrial" is a future project where you still can e-mail Bloodline your suggestions for songs. /Jens Krause, Mikael Kahrle

German release date for Delerium

• Delerium's "Poem" is going to be released in Germany on June 22. It was reviewed earlier this year and released in North America late 2000. /Mikael Kahrle

Soft Cell make successful comeback
• March 15-17 saw Soft Cell play their first live shows since they split up in 1984. The pioneering electronic duo officially opened costly new London venue Ocean with a set that contained many of their classic songs, as well as four new compositions: "Monoculture", "Last Chance", "Divided Souls" and "Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime".
Soft Cell are still working on a new album, but no release date has been set yet. No further live dates are currently scheduled. /Kristoffer Noheden

Chris Peterson makes a Decree
• Chris Peterson, member of Front Line Assembly, has been working on another Decree album. Chris says to Release that the project is a way of letting of steam, and therefore this is a rather noisy and experimental work, with lots of very processed guitars. Hopefully the album will be finished after the new FLA album is complete. /Johan Carlsson

Live albums by Pan Sonic and Cabaret Voltaire on new label

Pan Sonic.

• Jenny Divers is a new record label that intend to release limited edition CD:s of different artist's live material. The label's first releases will be two live albums by Pan Sonic, recorded in New York and London in 1995. Both will be made in limited editions of 2000 copies.
Forthcoming Jenny Divers releases will include Cabaret Voltaire, Caspar Brötzmann and Jimi Tenor. All releases will be available through Mute's mail order service. /Kristoffer Noheden

Pure Cosmicity
• Cosmicity, the one man electronic project of Mark Nicholas, will deliver a new album called "Pure" on A Different Drum late this summer. To wet your appetite before the album, a series of preview singles called "The Pure Sessions" will be released, beginning in May. /Johan Carlsson

Fields of the Nephilim cancel festival gigs

Carl McCoys disappoints his German fans.

• Fields of the Nephilim are not only heavily delayed with their new album, they have also cancelled two important festival gigs. Wave Gotik Treffen and Zillo Festival, both in Germany in June, have to look for a replacement.
- This is due to personal and professional reasons. If we had not been held back with our project, they would have been fantastic opportunities to show you our new material, front man Carl McCoy says. /Mikael Kahrle

Project-X tours America

• Swedish EBM band Project-X will have to come over their fear of flying. They head out on an extensive American tour during April and May. Inception Records recently licensed their debut album "Forbidden Desires" for America. Project-X are now working on their new album "Modus Operandi", to be released later this year. Before that they will release the single "Reminder". /Johan Carlsson

Rhys Fulber mix his album in LA
• Rhys Fulber has just been in Amsterdam completing half his Conjure One album, so far titled just "Conjure One". He will mix the rest of the album in Los Angeles in April. The album will then be released in September with a single beforehand in the summer. A promo vinyl will soon be sent out, featuring the track "Redemption" remixed by Max Graham. This track will also be featured on the forthcoming "Tranceport" and "Gatecrasher" compilation albums. /Johan Carlsson

Blue October finish new album
• After some delays, synthpop band Blue October has completed their new album entitled "Preaching Lies to the Righteous". What's left is mastering and pressing, and then the CD will be released on A Different Drum. /Johan Carlsson

More new material from Mute's Echoboy
• Ever productive Mute artist Echoboy will release a new single, "Turning on", on May 14. /Kristoffer Noheden

Front Line Assembly: loose tour plans
• No Depeche Mode News today! Instead we start with good old Front Line Assembly. According to Mindphaser.com, Bill Leeb and Chris Peterson are set to start mixing the new album on March 25. There is also talk about touring Europe in late May or June, mainly on festivals.

Pet Shop Boys are even Closer to Heaven

- Hey Release, tell your readers that our musical finally opens on May 31.
Photo by: Chris Floyd

• Some further information about the musical by Pet Shop Boys have come to our attention. The opening date is May 31, following previews from May 15. Pet Shop Boys have co-written the story together with Jonathan Harvey, and the set will feature 15 new songs by the boys. More info. /Johan Carlsson

Delerium on Tomb Raider movie soundtrack
• The Delerium track "Terra Firma" will be featured in the upcoming "Tomb Raider" movie. The Scandinavian release of new album "Poem" has been delayed to April. /Johan Carlsson, Mikael Kahrle

System 22 debuts
• System 22 is a band crossing trance with synthpop, and they are soon releasing their debut album "Velocity Trip" on A Different Drum. The new single "Until You Say You Are" features vocals by Reagan Jones, of Iris fame. /Johan Carlsson

Ryan Moore leaves Legendary Pink Dots
• After nearly ten years together with the Legendary Pink Dots, Ryan Moore has left the band to pursue other projects. Ryan was also involved in The Tear Garden, the collaborative project between Cevin Key and Legendary Pink Dots. Both Ryan and the Dots are planning to continue their music making. /Johan Carlsson

Depeche Mode covers and single details

For the first time here at Release: the "Exciter" and (one of the) "Dream on" covers.

• The second Depeche Mode single taken off "Exciter" will be "I Feel Loved"; one of the album's faster, tougher and most danceable tracks.
The first single "Dream on" is something of an opposite. Here is the track listings for the different UK versions of that single.
CDBONG30 "Dream on" (Single Version), "Easy Tiger" (Full Version), "Easy Tiger" (Bertrand Burgalat & A.S. Dragon Version).
LCDBONG30 "Dream on" (Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix), "Dream on" (Dave Clarke Acoustic Version), "Dream on" (Octagon Man Mix), "Dream on" (Kid 606 Mix).
12BONG30 "Dream on" (Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix), "Dream on" (Dave Clarke Remix), "Dream on" (Bushwacka Blunt Mix).
Tickets for the European tour shows are expected to go on sale shortly, except for the Scandinavian dates which are not set as of now. /Mikael Kahrle

Upcoming releases on Ant-Zen
• Several new releases are soon here from the label Ant-Zen. Mental Destruction is a Swedish industrial metal band, and they will release a so far untitled 7" single at their concert in Berlin on April 7.
Black Lung, a Snog side project, will release an EP called "Profound & Sentimental Journey" in April.
In late May, Synapscape releases an album with the working title "Positive Pop", a title that perhaps doesn't match their sound, which consists of harsh electronics and processed noise. /Johan Carlsson

"New" live material by Joy Division
• Legendary record label Factory has dived into its vaults and come up with a new live album by Joy Division. Entitled "Les Baines Douches" it consists of recordings of a 1979 Paris live show, and some bonus tracks from a 1980 show in Holland. The album will be out on March 26. /Kristoffer Noheden

Ten year anniversary for Melotron

• Melotron are in the studio finishing their new 3 CD, scheduled for a summer release. Melotron will play two gigs in London on March 31 and April 1. Thereafter the band is planning a ten year anniversary festival in their hometown Neubrandenburg, eastern Germany, which will take place in June. Except for Melotron, bands like Emergenz and Paradise of Fear will play live. /Jens Krause

May release for A Spell Inside
• Melrow, front figure of German bands A Spell Inside and Behind the Scenes, recently informed me that the brand new A Spell Inside album, "HIT", will be released on May 15. It will contain twelve new tracks, including a club version of their old song "Horizon". /Niklas Forsberg

Aphex Twin side project gets re-issued
• Warp Records will release a re-issue of Polygon Window's "Surfing on Sine Waves" on March 20. This version features two previously unreleased tracks recorded in the same sessions as the album. /Johan Carlsson