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News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson |
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The Sisters of Mercy: 35 live dates and counting January 30 2006 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden) | Thanks to: Anders Blixt The new tour with The Sisters of Mercy, starting in Las Vegas on February 16, has grown to 35 concerts. A European leg starts on April 1, with stops in, for example, Athens, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Rome and Paris. We also hear they have hired a new guitar player called Ben Christo. Festival updates from WGT and Arvika January 30 2006 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)
Wave Gotik Treffen has released new live acts for three days in a row now. Among the new names we find VNV Nation, Beborn Beton, Gothminister, Combichrist, Feindflug, Witt, Agonoize and The House of Usher. The Arvika Festival has announced that Covenant, Client, Franz Ferdinand and Alice in Videoland will come this year. In addition, the organisers have hired Slagsmålsklubben - for three years, after their successful gig last year.
The Knife changes release date due to leak January 30 2006 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden) The new album from Swedish electro duo The Knife, "Silent Shout", has leaked abroad, according to Rabid Records. The release date has therefore been changed from March 8 to February 15.
Pre-Klinik work from Dirk Ivens January 29 2006 | By: Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA) "Lost/Found" (Tarantulla Productions), a double disc collection from Absolute Body Control, is now out in an edition of 1000 copies. This release will contain 44 tracks including the original studio versions of the first 7" release plus rare, unreleased and live material all completely remastered. VUZ Records issued a single disc compendium a few years back entitled "Eat This" which has been unavailable for quite a long time. This act were around during the early 1980:s and its members were Dirk Ivens (The Klinik, Dive, Blok 57 and Sonar) and Eric van Wonterghem (The Klinik, Insekt, Sonar and Monolith). Absolute Body Control were something of a cult-act in their native Belgium and played several live dates before calling it a day after a European tour with another Belgian band called The Maniacs, which was the project of Sandy Nys (The Hybryds) and one Marc Verhaeghen. The rest as they say, is history, with Dirk and Eric joining with Marc to solidify The Klinik along with another future collaborator Mario Vaerwijck with whom Wonterghem would create Insekt.
Devo kids on Disney backed by original members January 29 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden)
Youngsters Jackie, Michael, Nicole, Nathan and Kane (aged 10-13) are Dev2.0, the kids version of cult new wave band Devo. Sort of like a twisted A-teens. All five original Devo members are behind it, and they have even recorded two brand new songs for the project – “Cyclops” and “The Winner” – in addition to re-recording old classics like "Whip It". The “Dev2.0” album comes out on March 17 on Disney Sound, with a companion DVD featuring animated and live action videos for all tracks made by Devo co-founder and bassist Gerry Casale.
Sombre View back at it January 26 2006 | By: Niklas Forsberg (Kungälv, Sweden) After a couple of years dedicated to their private lives, the members of Swedish electropop/folk trio Sombre View return with new material. An Internet only release for the single "Hidden" is planned for the late winter with a properly released album tentatively titled "Running under a Purple Sun" scheduled for later in the year. Their label remains German Life Is Painful Records. New single compilation from Memento Materia January 26 2006 | By: Niklas Forsberg (Kungälv, Sweden)
Memento Materia will release a singles compilation with four of their bands on March 15. New material and exclusive remixes will be served from Michigan, Code 64, Backlash and Z Prochek respectively. The title tracks off each single will be released online starting February 15 with Code 64's "Sea of Stars", followed by Michigan's "Discohell", Backlash' "Breach" and Z Prochek's "One Day" on March 10. Note that none of the bonus tracks will be released online. Preview of the new Mesh album January 25 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden)
The sound this time around is a bit rockier with more guitars, but their sense for melodies seems to be intact. The album is produced by Gareth Jones, long time producer and mixer of electronic music by for example Erasure, Nitzer Ebb, Depeche Mode and John Foxx. The first single “Crash” is out on February 24, with remixes and two exclusive extra tracks, and the album follows on March 31. Krautrock gets its due January 25 2006 | By: Mattias Huss (Åbo, Finland) German television network WDR will air a six part documentary series on Krautrock, "Kraut und Rüben", starting February 3. The playful title means "Topsyturvy", but literally "Herbs and beets", reminding us of the fact that the term Krautrock, coined by the British music press for German experimental and electronic music, refers to Sauerkraut ("kraut" used to be a somewhat derivative synonym för "German"), that most German of challenging delicacies. The series features legends such as Amon Düül II, Guru Guru, Can and Tangerine Dream and describes the development of the scene and the emergence of electronic music, "Germany's most original contribution to international pop music". Six hours of absolutely essential viewing for those of you lucky bastards with access to German television. More information (in German) here. Silent shouts from The Knife January 25 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden) The popular and quirky Swedish sibling electro act The Knife have worked away in their studio and produced a new album. It’s called “Silent Shout” and will be released in March. The accompanying single “Silent Shout” is out now, in digital form. A 12” version of it should be out around now as well. Depeche Mode's outdoor tour growing huge January 24 2006 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden) Depeche Mode keep adding dates for their outdoor summer tour which is growing huge: Aarhus (Denmark), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Imola (Italy), the Wireless Festival in London, Arras (France), the Werchter Festival in Belgium, Stockholm, Rome, Gijon (Spain), Lisbon and Baalbeck in Lebanon (!), after their gig in Israel. They will also play Mountain View, California, in connection to their US Coachella Festival gig in April. Tonight they do Erfurt, Germany.
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New single from Scotland's Hoboken January 23 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden)
Hoboken, consisting of three (four in the past) Scots from Glasgow, has just released their new single (and video) “Beauty Queen” (January 9). They make quality electronic pop music with hints of both Sparks and Depeche Mode, was formed in 2001 and released their debut album “Crazy Glue” in 2004. The last December they joined Human League on their UK tour. They will travel to Sweden for the famous Romo Night club in Gothenburg on February 10. FLA member ventures into hip hop January 23 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden) Chris Peterson from Front Line Assembly (rumours abound telling about his return to the band for the next album) has a lot of going on as usual. Besides the new FLA album, he’s diligently working on the new Decree album, a collaboration with Unit187 and Left Spine Down. On top of that, he’s also finished handling the knobs on The Phudgepackerz debut album “God Hates Fags”, a title not to be taken too seriously. The style is groovy hip-hop with supremely dirty and funny lyrics. Check out their not safe for work web site. 5.1 reissues of Depeche Mode albums January 21 2006 | By: Johan Carlsson (Stockholm, Sweden)
All albums from “Speak and Spell” up to “Exciter” are getting the treatment and will be released in batches of three during the year. The rumours that Alan Wilder would be involved with the mixing turned out to be false however, as a bloke called Simon Heyworth is doing the honours. Towards the end of the year, a new “best of” compilation album will be out as well. We have no word regarding new material on this release. If this wasn’t enough, the new tour will be immortalized on DVD in September, and the next single from “Playing the Angel”, “Suffer Well”, is coming out on February 20, with fourth single “John the Revelator” following in April or May.
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First wave to the Treffen January 21 2006 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden) Leipzig's Wave Gotik Treffen has released its first wave of bands for this year's event (June 2-5). In the list, we find Nitzer Ebb, Heaven 17 with original line-up, Legendary Pink Dots, Tanzwut and Theatre of Tragedy.
Front Line Assembly to headline M'era Luna January 20 2006 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)
Last year Bill Leeb expressed his wish to bring Front Line Assembly to some European festivals this year, so it didn't come us a surprise when Germany's M'era Luna announced FLA as headliners yesterday, alongside Nitzer Ebb. The M'era Luna line-up also includes festival veterans In Strict Confidence, In Extremo, Funker Vogt and Blutengel. |
One
of Release's favourite
electronic bands is UK's
Mesh, and if you like them
too, you are interested
in listening to clips from
their upcoming album “We
Collide”, now on
line on
the band's
Electronic
giants Depeche Mode have
a busy year in front of
them, first and foremost
with their current tour
of course. But according
to the Empty World web
site, they will also issue
re-releases of old albums,
completely remixed in 5.1
sound, and with bonus material. 