Cat Rapes Dog live at Swedish Electronic Music Awards earlier this year. They were one of four bands at The Subspace Encounter.
Photo: Tomas Engin

Mini festival The Subspace Encounter in Lund on September 5 was successful with about 700 visitors and nice concerts with a o S.P.O.C.K who showed their new live-ingredients like a Borg and a Klingon. Release was attending to the festival at a sales stand.

Swedish gothic rock band Dawn of Oblivion are working on a new album which will arrive this winter. An EP titled "Haunted" will be released a couple of months before the album.

Barry Adamson's new tour is cancelled.

Still no word about Stockholm music company Stroke Music, who "disappeared" after their cancelled Electrocute festival with money from all the pre-paid tickets. Their only remaining band, Lorelei de Lux are now signed to Nangijala Records in Helsingborg.

The dark rock band My Dying Bride is about to release a new album with the strange title "34.788%... Complete".

The Swedish music/film/TV/video business magazine Topp 40 is no more.

This autumn the Swedish dark electropopband Statemachine will release their debut album in USA. All tracks except one have been reworked and the title is now "Breakdown", instead of "Avalanche Breakdown". The new version will also be released in Germany and Scandinavia. After the band is finsihed with "Breakdown", they will start working on their second album, scheduled for an early 1999 release.
One member, Rikard Lindell, has left the band and they are still searching for a live keyboardist/background singer.

Now Depeche Mode are on the road again at last and they have now performed several concerts on the new tour. Their show is based only upon singles including "Just Can't Get Enough" as an extra track in the end of the show and the stage, backdrop, lights etc are smaller and more compact than usual (but still impressive, of course). They include a live drummer and extra keyboardist on stage as well as two black singers. If you can understand Swedish, there is a live report at On Stage.
All the 25 dates for Depeche Mode's North American leg of their current tour are set. They will be touring in the States from October 27 to just before Christmas.
To commemorate the release of "The Singles 86-98" album Mute Records organizes a series of Depeche Mode club nights in Great Britain throughout September. These will take place on existing club nights, but will be opening early and devoting the first section of the night entirely to Depeche Mode - playing tracks, give-aways, competitions and more. Of course, there will be lots of official and un-official parties in other countries as well.

Some people have asked us what has happened with the alternative German record company Danse Macabre, owned by Das Ich-members. Well, they have stopped their activity completely due to lack of time and sales success. Some of the company's acts have showed up on other labels, naturally - and Das Ich themselves are on Edel since last year.
Edel is soon to be listed on the stock exchange in Germany and their Swedish part - Edelpitch - changes their name to Edel.

The gothband Funhouse from southern Sweden are working on a new album, "Second Coming", which will be released this autumn. It will contain, except for new songs, remixes by Rosetta Stone and cover versions.

The Belgian power electronic project Sonar has a new line-up: Dirk Ivens (Dive and ex-Klinik member) is now working together with Eric van Wonterghem (who has been a member of Absolute Body Control, Klinik and Insekt). He has replaced old member Patrick Stevens. Their first release is the current "Sonar vs Muslimgauze" CD on Dirk's Daft Records.