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News
editors: Mikael
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New EP and retrospective album from Absolute Body Control Mar 15, 2008 | By: Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA) Belgian minimalist electro cult favourites Absolute Body Control have a new EP "Never Seen"(Daft) out on March 21 and also another collection of their classic work (re-recorded this time) "Wind(Re)Wind" released on the same day. For those who do not know who this duo are, Dirk Ivens and Eric van Wonterghem may be more recognizable under their modern day monikers of Dive and Monolith respectively. Just to beat the dead horse a bit more, Ivens was a member of the legendary Klinik from 1984-1991 before marching off to form Dive and later Sonar. Mr. van Wonterghem also was an early member of Klinik and left in the late 80:s to form Insekt, later he formed Monolith and is a member of Sonar along with Ivens. And they say West Virginia is inbred... Live dates (or actions, depending on how long you've been a fan) are planned to commence on March 22 in Augsburg, Germany and will take the band for the first time ever to the United States with one show in Brooklyn, New York on April 4 and another in Los Angeles, California on April 5. Here's hoping they sleep on the flight there... It's then back to Berlin on April 11 and it all winds up on October 11 in Zwickau, Germany. Killing Joke tour Japan, Europe and USA Mar 15, 2008 | By: Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA) For the first time since 1982, England's Killing Joke are returning to the stage with their founding four members comprising the line-up. Both bassist Youth and drummer Paul Ferguson will be in attendance on stage with the band as they strike out live. A new album by the fearsome four is also in the works, yes you read that right. Details on the new album have not yet emerged but we will let you know as soon as they are. Jaz, Geordie, Youth and "Big" Paul may also be caught live in Japan, Europe and USA in September and October. The influence of Killing Joke is often bandied about but we leave it to you to go out and buy their albums to determine this for yourself. Disappointment in their early works will not be a factor, although many of their 90:s releases defined the phrase "cut out bin". Music Non Stop no more Mar 10, 2008 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden) UK music mailorder Music Non Stop has stopped trading after nine years. They say the main reasons are the current exchange rates of the euro and the dollar against the pound - and the lack of "big name" releases within our scene. We'll start to bring down their Release banner ads today. Read their full statement at their site. Car bomb explodes outside Megahype's office Mar 10, 2008 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden) On Sunday morning a car bomb exploded outside electropop label Megahype's office at Surbrunnsgatan in Stockholm. No one was hurt but 20 windows nearby were crashed. The car belonged to security company Bevakningsgruppen, who runs security for Stureplansgruppen. A 29-year old man has been arrested. Megahype's roster includes Mobile Hones, Lowe, Rezonance and Rupesh Cartel. DAF and Paradise Lost to M'era Luna Mar 6, 2008 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden)
The latest wave of live acts booked by Germany's M'era Luna festival includes DAF with Robert Görl and Gabi Delgado, Paradise Lost, The Legendary Pink Dots, Samael, Agonoize and Epica. Yazoo head for USA Mar 6, 2008 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden) Yazoo, who call themselves Yaz in the USA, are going for a small six gig American tour in July with stops in Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. They will not play Yazoo City, Mississippi. NIN suddenly reveal a ghostly collection Mar 5, 2008 | By: Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA)
36 (yes, that's right) new tracks can be taken in and they are very sparse and atmospheric at times. Release plans have thus far incorporated several download platforms and just to gain a bit more publicity a legal official NIN torrent of "Ghosts I" has been made available to the public. A double disc physical release is planned and there is, naturally, a high-end vinyl version in the works too. This is the first new work from the band since they became unsigned; Reznor has much to say about that, all of which can be found on NIN's website. And now, perhaps, the Tapeworm project will see the light of day. More news as we get it. New work now out from Phil Western; re-issues imminent Mar 5, 2008 | By: Peter Marks (Portland, Oregon, USA) "Cirrhotic Psychotic" (The Record Company) by Kone is out now and available exclusively via this contact address. This is the first ever release from Phil Western's project who have previously only made compilation appearances (1997's Paradigm Shift and 2006's Rare). Stylistically, Kone are minimal techno crossed pollinated heavily with much aggression and an almost punk sensibility to the proceedings. Electronic music for those who would rather not wallow in the past and embrace sonic evolution. Western has also recently released a new solo album entitled "4am" which Release reviewed last year and a live album entitled "1221". A collaborative album with Mark Spybey under the name of Beehatch is due out in April and if this were not enough, Western has plans to re-issue his debut solo album "The Escapist" and the album with Tim Hill he released entitled "Dark Features". Most of all for those in the know about this man is the re-release due of the one album by his project Floatpoint in a double disc edition, which will contain a 45 minute improvisational live piece featuring Dwayne R. Goettel of Skinny Puppy fame. "Beam Error" has long been sought by many and currently goes for sums well beyond the reach of most fans. 1994 was the original issue of this work. Considered a bridge between the old guard of minimalistic "ethno techno" and the present day experimentalism Download and Philth symbolize, Floatpoint's output is a huge missing piece of a musical tapestry heretofore seen by a select few. VNV Nation in Gothenburg: third try in May Mar 3, 2008 | By: Mikael Kahrle (Gothenburg, Sweden) After one failed performance (the power went out after half a song) and one cancelled performance last year, VNV Nation will make a third attempt in Gothenburg on May 16. Throbbing Gristle in the words of Matmos Mar 3, 2008 | By: Mattias Huss (Uppsala/Stockholmg, Sweden)
The new album by Matmos, by the way, is called "Supreme Balloon" and is due out on May 6. It's supposed to be pure, nonconceptual synthesizer pop, if you would believe such a thing.
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"Ghosts I-IV" (
What do musicians really do to stay afloat? Well, Drew Daniel of the quirky experimental electronica duo Matmos apparently teaches in the English Department at Johns Hopkins University. He has also found time to write a 176 page book analyzing the classic Throbbing Gristle album "20 Jazz Funk Greats" (which is also the title of the book). Including interviews with all band members as well as never before published photos and drawings by them, the book promises to delve deeper into TG's working processes and ideas. A nice companion, in other words, to the purely biographical "Wreckers of Civilization" book on TG by Simon Ford.