Release Magazine asked Stephan Groth (Apoptygma Berzerk) for his top 10 albums of the decade (2010-2019). [more...]
Several breakthrough acts are now creating a vibrant new Gothenburgian underground, a scene with and enduring legacy built on bands from a wide range of genres as The Knife, In Flames, José González, Ace of Base, The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Mickey Dee, the former drummer in Motörhead.
Like those before them, many of the new avant gardists are rooted in the city’s vibrant soundsystem culture, and at the forefront there’s one of the most exciting bands on the Swedish scene in years. With just a few singles in their tote bag Gothenburg music collective Kårp embarked on an amazing journey. When they summarize they can put a well-received debut album, the 2020 single “Left Handed” and two Manifest Awards nominations (newcomer 2018 and synth 2019) on the list.
Nodding to atmospheric electropop, advanced electronica and, as they call it, deathdisco, on their debut “Album 1”, a work of soaring imagination, Kårp bring us more than music in their overall artistic formula. Kårp is not only music, it’s a spirit that penetrates everything what you see, hear and experience about the band.
When I covered Viva Sounds Festival in Gothenburg I met up with Kårp in their studio and had a chat about having focus on the songs, an amazing lazer dude and the mysteriousness surrounding the band. And because of that, we keep it secret; only Anna-Maria appears as herself in the interview. [more...]
It’s not often, if ever, you get a chance to meet your heroes. So when Alex Paterson, the only ever-present in the collective known as the Orb, pioneer of ambient electronic music, and the creator of the iconic tracks “Little Fluffy Clouds”, and “Blue Room” appears on your radar – even during times of lockdown – it’s time to give him a call. Mike Whyte has an inspired conversation with Mr Paterson in this Release Magazine exclusive. [more...]
Indochine 40 and more Swedish connections – Nicola Sirkis and Ludwig Dahlberg interviewed
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In 2015 Sebastian Hess and Henrik Wittgren from Release interviewed Nicola Sirkis in Stockholm, which resulted in our ”Indochine – The Swedish Connection” feature. In 2021 Indochine will celebrate 40 years as a band and we got the opportunity to talk to Nicola again. We also talked to Swedish drummer Ludwig Dahlberg to hear how he ended up in the biggest band in France. And as if this wasn’t enough, some early photos of Indochine in Sweden surfaced through a newly started Swedish Facebook group. Check them out towards the end. The 40 year celebration will include two compilation albums (the first one is out now), arena shows in France and a couple of new songs of which the single ”Nos Célébrations” is the first one. [more...]
Release writer Sebastian Hess talked to Adam Anderson, one half of Hurts, about their 5th album “Faith”, partly recorded in Release hometown Gothenburg, struggling like Depeche Mode and the fact that singer Theo spent the first two weeks of lockdown in the company of only an octopus named Arnold. Singer Theo Hutchcraft has said that the new recordings were driven by the “darker elements of pop” and that the lyrics were inspired by “isolation, desperation and mania”. [more...]
The Damage Control collective shares the love for old school industrial – interview
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Collaborations are common on the industrial scene, but Damage Control takes it to the next level. So be warned: there’s some serious namedropping in this interview, including Chris Peterson, Phil Western, Greg Reely, Claus Larsen and Gin Devo.
Damage Control is quite new on the scene, having only released one album so far. It’s quite a strong album, and now it sort of returns albeit in remixed form. It’s all about the love for groovy old-school industrial music like Front Line Assembly, Noise Unit and Skinny Puppy. We asked Bill Barsby some questions, he is the main man behind the name and resides in Melbourne, Australia. [more...]
Fix8:Sed8 have steadily been rising through the ranks of the electro industrial scene, getting stronger and stronger with each release. Melding Vancouver industrial à la Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly with its own twists and turns, the latest album “The Inevitable Relapse” further cements the band’s position. So we figured it was time to reach out to the man behind the name, Martin Sane. [more...]
40 years after their self-titled debut album Duran Duran is still going strong with their 15th studio album ”Future Past” (October 22, 2021). The new album features collaborations with artists as diverse as Swedish pop star Tove Lo, Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and Japanese punk band CHAI. Erol Alkan and the legendary Giorgio Moroder helped out with production.
Release’s Sebastian Hess had a nice video chat with founding member Nick Rhodes while the band was preparing for a performance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. They talked about how the pandemic made the album better, favorite collectables, Swedish connections, Nick’s side project and they even had time for a mini quiz.
Today Depeche Mode revealed their future plans at a press conference in Berlin. [more...]
“Songs of Future Memories“ is a combined 3 CD and a 72-page art book, collecting four decades of Twice a Man – pioneers of Scandinavian electronic music. We meet up with Dan Söderqvist, Karl Gasleben and Jocke Söderqvist. [more...]