News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

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Dirk Bergen joins Front 242 on stage tonight
• Front 242 will play a 30 minute show tonight at CC Gasthaus in Aarschot, Belgium. The show will consist of material from their debut album "Geography" and will feature Dirk Bergen as a member for the first time in..., well, many years. Speedtribe and Male or Female are also slated to perform. /Peter Marks

Next FLA single "Vanished" features new song
• The next track chosen for single release from the latest Front Line Assembly album ”Civilization” is the slow, sad and powerful ”Vanished”. Rhys Fulber is busy with making mixes of the track right now, and a track called “Almost Gone” – a song first meant to be on the album, now re-worked – is also featured. Let's hope for a proper track list this time, since the information for "Civilization" was incorrect. /Johan Carlsson

Not enough doom and gloom in your life?

- Let's catch the sun on the beach today, laddies.

• Don’t be afraid. Or, well, be very afraid. Starting this Spring, goth- and doom metal veterans My Dying Bride will go out on tour again, promoting and playing their new album "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light". And on an even happier, or darker, note; beware, fans of the North - Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland: Late this summer Aaron Stainthorpe and his cohorts probably will tour the whole of Scandinavia for the first time in six years. And who said the world could get any darker?
We asked Mr Stainthorpe if it isn’t hard to find it in him to write such wretched and depressing lyrics year after year.
- It actually gets harder and harder. But I think I have succeeded with "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light". Those lyrics are not as personal as my old ones and won’t hurt as much to perform live. I only write when I’m feeling depressed, and when I’m finished I feel fine again. I hope I can serve as an inspiration to other people on ways of dealing with sadness and frustration.
Read more in our short not-only-for-the-fans Spotlight. /Kalle Malmstedt, Mikael Kahrle

Fletch to keynote Canadian conference

- Toronto, here I come.

• It's been confirmed that Depeche Mode member and Client collaborator Andy Fletcher will deliver the keynote address at this year's Canadian Music Week Conference and festival. The CMW 2004 industry event takes place March 3 to 6 in Toronto. Last year's keynote John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) broke stride by coming to Toronto and later commented that he wouldn't be interested in keynotes again. Festival attendees would interested in Release bands should catch goth-rock outfit The Divine and glam staple Robin Black & The Intergalactic Rock Stars. /Alex Veronac

Nick Cave's old videos soon on DVD
• On March 29, Mute will release a DVD of "The Videos" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. It features 20 videos by the band, directed by Anton Corbijn, John Hillcoat and Bad Seed Mick Harvey, among others. Oddly, the DVD release hasn't been updated to include any of the videos from the two most recent albums. It does however feature introductory links to the songs by the band. Following this, a compilation of single B sides and rarities is worked on by the band at the moment and is to be released in May. /Kristoffer Noheden

Seabound unveil their "Poisonous Friend"

• A new EP for the poppy song "Poisonous Friend" is due out this April and contains multiple remixes of both the title track and other album titles. In addition to this, there are some unreleased works which will be included. Haujobb, Tom Ellard and Iris are some of those who have chosen to appear on dark electo duo Seabound's new output. /Peter Marks

The Knife sent their gorillas to Grammis gala
• Yesterday, Swedish synthpop duo The Knife, was awarded the Grammis (Swedish Grammy) for best pop act. The band didn't attend but sent two persons dressed as gorillas to accept the award, as they want the music to speak for itself. /Mikael Kahrle

Extensive live plans for reborn Pixies



• For the first time in more than a decade, The Pixies have started rehearsing in Los Angeles for a live tour. It's been announced that the quartet will play an eleven city Western US/Canada warm-up tour in April leading up to their Coachella festival appearance. Beginning on April 14, the band plays Winnipeg, Canada and make their way playing westward to Vancouver, BC then south to Sacramento, California by April 29 playing a series of smaller venues.
The band will embark on a European leg starting on May 28 which ends on July 10 and a support slot on Red Hot Chili Peppers' summer European tour. Confirmed locations include London's Brixton Academy on June 2 and 3 and the Swedish Hultsfred Festival. Later festivals dates look to happen as the band returns for Scotland's T in The Park on July 10 and 11 with other acts including The Chemical Brothers and David Bowie.
The as yet untitled Pixies DVD we've been hearing about dubbed "Pixies" will contain a live concert filmed in 1988 at the Town and Country Club in London. The disc will also have a Pixies documentary entitled "Gouge," and the earlier eight Pixies' videos. No release date has been set.
For earlier Pixies news from Release see here. /Alex Veronac

Grammy for Cash "Hurt" video
• The video for Johnny Cash cover of Nine Inch Nails dark "Hurt" grabbed the US Grammy award for best video. Cash passed away less than a year after the video was filmed. /Mikael Kahrle

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Metropolis dependent of Mindbase
• Leading US industrial and alternative label Metropolis will use Germany's Mindbase and the staff of Mindbase label Dependent to spread and market their releases over Europe. /Mikael Kahrle

The Cure to Coachella and London Club

• UK gloom-pop combo The Cure have been announced as headline for the second night at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2004. The venue of Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, attracted 68 000 music fans last year over two nights. One of The Cure's last live gigs was relatively close by at the retro themed Inland Invasion III festival in September 2003.
Earlier, the veteran live quintet is scheduled to play a smaller venue during the Passport: Back to the Bars event in March. The six night musical effort was set up to draw attention to the Shelter and War Child Charities. Ticketing is being done by a lottery type process where fans enter by sending a text message through their UK mobile telephone service. An added donation goes towards the charities as the entrants compete for access to the small venue gigs. The Cure plays Barfly in London on March 5 and Pet Shop Boys play the following night. Gary Numan plays the Barfly Cardiff on March 4 with 22 bands in total in six cities. Details here: www.musicpassport.org /Alex Veronac

New bands to Arvika
• The Swedish Arvika Festival has added Fixmer/McCarthy, Iris and Sophie Rimheden to this year's line-up. Douglas McCarthy's Nitzer Ebb cancelled an Arvika gig a few years ago. /Mikael Kahrle

Kraftwerk albums to be rereleased
• All eight major Kraftwerk albums ("Autobahn", "Radioactivity", "Trans Europe Express", "The Man Machine", "Computer World", "Electric Café", "The Mix" and "Tour de France Soundtracks") will undergo a remastering treatment and then they will be rereleased later this year under the title "Kling Klang Studio Digital Master 2004". /Mikael Kahrle, Johan Carlsson

New Squarepusher album in March



• Warped Warp artist Squarepusher is due to release a new album on March 8. Entitled "Ultravisitor", the album is said to have a very live and personal feel to it. A three track 12" of album tracks is out already and should be available from independent record stores. /Kristoffer Noheden

First Haloblack album since 1996 out soon
• Long in the making, the new Haloblack album "Throb." is finally due out on February 16 on Armalyte. "Throb." is the first new Haloblack full length since 1996's "Funkyhell", and features guest performances by Raymond Watts (Pig, Watts, KMFDM) and previous George Michael collaborator Arianne Schreiber (now in Mendoza). Dirty and minimal electronic rock is to be expected if the two tracks premiered on the compilation "The Sick City Volume One" are anything to go by.
The man behind Haloblack is American expatriat Bryan Black, now residing in London and also involved in Xlover, H3llb3nt and Motor. /Kristoffer Noheden

New British synthpop act produced by Elegant Machinery men

• British synthpop trio Univaque might not be unique, but they deliver classic well executed synthpop with a modern touch in the vein of Elegant Machinery. And in the producer's chair we actually find not one, but two, old Elegant Machinery-sts. This is the first co-operation by Robert Enforsen and Johan Malmgren since their old band seized to exist. Univaque member Mark know Malmgren since long and six years ago he moved to Sweden, where the album more or less is made.
The Univaque single "Nothing Can Be Saved" (February 27) will precede the debut album "Lost in a Maze" (late March), which is being completed as we speak. The single features a "Nemesis Mix" by Alice in Videoland with some vocals by their singer Ms Lindqvist, a Colony 5 remix and a Panzerveps version of the song "At the Café".
Univaque was born in the mid-nineties and the band was complete after a Gary Numan gig 1996. One of the three British lads, Zammo, is a DJ on the alternative club scene in London and can add Sigue Sigue Sputnik roadie to his resumé. /Mikael Kahrle

Three more Depeche Mode box sets
• March 29 is a day many have been waiting for - this is the release date for three more Depeche Mode singles collection box sets, numbers 4, 5 and 6. At least here in Europe, as you have to wait a whole day longer if you live in the states. These boxes cover singles from 1987 up to present day, but the exact track list is still unknown.
The original three boxes will be re-released on the same date, in limited numbers. /Johan Carlsson

Icon of Coil man in new project Monofader
• German label Infacted Records has announced the signing of a new Norwegian duo featuring Sebastian Komor of Icon of Coil and Richard Bjoerklund of Spektralized. The project is named Monofader and is said to be working on melodic and catchy electronic tunes. An album is planned for a spring release on Infacted. /Peter Takizawa

A date for Chris Peterson's Decree
• The new Decree album by ex-Front Line Assembly member Chris Peterson has now a release date. It’s April 6 in North America (Metropolis) and the day before in the rest of the world (Minuswelt/Musikfabrik). /Johan Carlsson

Jesus and Mary Chain comes alive in "Lost in Translation"

• This time of year when the movie industry massages it's own ego and hands out awards, a certain soundtrack brings back some early noise. In a real surprise at the ending of Sofia Coppola's hit film "Lost in Translation" is when Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey" fills the theatre. This would not make news in itself but the new recognition of the film is bringing soundbytes of the track played on movie awards telecasts with audiences counted in the hundreds of millions. You'll surely hear a snippet of this 1984 recorded track during the Academy Awards on February 29.
This seems far cry from the Scottish Jesus and Mary Chain we knew starting out with just two strings on the bass guitar, extremely loud distortion and 20 minute sets ending because of fan riots. The Mary Chain decidedly broke up after an onstage argument in 1998. The last we heard the brothers was that they were helping their sister Linda Reid with project Sister Vanilla. Jim Reid has gone on to work as project Freeheat with Mary Chain alumni guitarist Ben Lurie. /Alex Veronac

"Flamboyant" new single from Pet Shop Boys
• The new single from the Pet Shop Boys is “Flamboyant”. It’s taken from the recent compilation “PopArt”, and will be out towards the end of March. The track has been remixed for the single by Pet Shop Boys and Stuart Crichton, and other remixers are Scissor Sisters, DJ Hell and Tomcraft.
Further news: statistics show that Pet Shop Boys are the fourth most successful dance artists ever in the USA, only surpassed by the three ladies Madonna, Janet Jackson and Donna Summer. The danciest band ever, in other words. This is based on the Billboard dance chart. /Johan Carlsson

New Das Ich double album in April
• Bruno Kramm of Das Ich tells Release, he is working on the final mixes for their yet untitled new album, loosely scheduled for a late April release. In the meantime, the German electrogoth act is planning some serious touring activities. /Mikael Kahrle

"Herzlos" out of "Focus"
• The new EP from German EBM band Absurd Minds is “Herzlos” (“Heartless”), and will be an eight-track affair with an assortment of remixes to listen to. The track is taken from their latest full-length album “The Focus”. Out on February 26. /Johan Carlsson

New electroclashers debut today
• German electroclash techno whatever outfit Ascii Disko is ready to unleash their self-titled album today. /Johan Carlsson

The Nine "Invasion" imminent
• Fans of more abrasive synthpop might want to look into The Nine’s upcoming remix album “Invasion”. Remixes from their singles, rare and exclusive tracks make up the content. Out on February 16 on A Different Drum. /Johan Carlsson