Interview with Ladytron
Here’s a short interview with the electronic act Ladytron by EM: It makes absolute sense that Daniel Hunt’s “favorite record ever” is My Bloody Valentine’s 1991 album Loveless. Aside from the obvious fact that Hunt’s band is also a quartet comprised of two men and two women, Ladytron is like MBV for the electronic set: dense layers of synths rather than a shoegaze-y wall of guitars.
“I grew up listening to music that I could not fully understand,” Hunt says. “I like this kind of swell where you hear certain things and you’re not sure what they are, and you’re not sure what is connected to what.”
That isn’t to say that Ladytron is creating an amorphous sonic mess in the studio. Ten years after releasing their debut album, 604, Ladytron has learned a thing or two about maximizing space in the mix. With the band’s fifth full-length record, Gravity the Seducer, Hunt says they’re more cognizant of when to say when.
“I think we’re instinctively preempting those problems in the mix by not throwing too many bass-y mono synths and layers down there,” he says. “We’re just a bit more aware of what’s required than we used to be. With the first and second records, the mix engineer would be like, ‘You know, you put seven basses on here.’ And we’d go, ‘Okay, well it’s your job. You just make it work!’ We’re a bit more considerate now.”
While Ladytron dove into recording their previous two albums immediately after months on the road—thus creating an album that would easily translate to the stage—the band took a different approach to Gravity the Seducer. “We probably had about a year off from the road in which to write and prepare and had a clearer idea of what we wanted,” Hunt says. “It was refreshing to make a record without thinking about the accompanying tour. We didn’t care about it, so I think the record sounds freer and more coherent as a result.”
BLIND PASSENGER official Videoclip Electrocop
The German electronic project Blind Passenger have released a second single, “Electrocop”, and corresponding music video from the album “Next Flight to planet Earth”. The highly controversial clip, a mix of real movie and animation, dives deep into a world of violent cops, surveillance cameras and total control. A world that is maybe not that far from reality, judge for yourself…
A Graceful Clips Production
c/o office@boomtownpromotion.de
camera & cut: Fabian Uhlmann
script & direction: Nik Page / Jan Golz
cartoon animations: Eike Braselmann www.brezelburg.com
main actors: Jens Lewerenz / Nik Page / Jamie Heinrich-Stewart
prod. assistence: Kristin Maaß / Ina Lichtenberg (Eldorado Promotion)
Electrocop is produced by: Torsten Heise / Clemens Hartung / Nik Page
Blind Passenger are: Clemens Hartung / Jamie Heinrich-Stewart / Nik Page
bandcontact: management@blindpassengers.de
labelcontact: presse@wannsee-records.de
This song is dedicated to a man who bravely predicted a brave new world.
In retrospect his vision of a sad and bitter future for humanity may have been closer to the present world situation than anybody would have ever deemed possible. We take a bow to Aldous Huxley
Neurobash – “Stereotype” (preview)
Here´s a little teaser from my friends at Neurobash 
Curios to experience the new Neurobash album STEREOTYPE and simply can’t wait? Here is a short preview with snippets from the album, shot during the final listening session by band members Ewan Kelley and Patrick Nelson.
Norway’s number 1 electro alternative festival rocks again
Next week Oslo will host the two-days festival ElektroStat. ElektroStat is Norway’s largest festival dedicated to underground electronic music and this year’s event will be held over two days, 7th and 8th October, at the Månefisken venue. It’s a festival that you have to have visited as a Scandinavian, and considering the extremely cheap Ryanair tickets, it’s one that everyone could easily check out anyhow.
Headlining on day 1 is Suicide Commando while day 2 will see Recoil playing some kind of hometown gig. Side-Line will be present and will bring you live highlights via Twitter using the #elektrostat hashtag.
Tickets for the ElektroStat festival can be purchased right here. Day tickets are NOK 390 / Tw-days ticket are NOK 590, roughly 39 and 59 EURO. Age limit is 18+. Be aware, ID will be checked at entrance.
ElektroStat utilises four rooms with many different live acts and DJs. Here’s the line-up for this year’s event:Klubbscenen 7. oktober
- 19:45 Unitary (S)
- 21:15 X-Ploding Head Syndrome (N)
- 23:00 Supermale (N)
Hovedscenen 7. oktober
- 19:00 Servoskudd (N)
- 20:30 Loveplanet (N)
- 22:15 Vision Talk (S)
- 23:45 Suicide Commando (BE)
Klubbscenen 8. oktober
- 19:45 Tomorrow We Move To Hawaii (N)
- 21:15 Agrezzior (S)
- 23:00 Nachtmar (AT)
Hovedscenen 8. oktober
- 19:00 Murder Mystery (N)
- 20:30 Hearts of Black Science (S)
- 22:15 Ultra Sheriff (N)
- 23:45 Recoil (UK)
More info at www.elektrostat.com .
Portrait of Rhythm Droid
Mini-documentary about Rhythm Droid. Directed and produced by Devin Curry of Grand Atrium. Explore what makes Rhythm Droid tick as he works in the studio and offers some of his perspectives on electronic music production.
Photography by: www.chroniquesautomatiques.com
Fusing Detroit techno sentimentalism with electro synths and funk basslines Rhythm Droid manages to pump out 1 hour plus live house, electro, and tech-funk sets without any laptop or prerecorded material. Having released on Rennie Foster’s Dirty Works label along with remixing French duo Housse De Racket, he also has forthcoming releases on London’s Eye Industries (Siriusmo, Russ Chimes, Alan Braxe, The Twelves).
Sinner’s Day 2011 featuring Front 242, Recoil and….
…and here is the complete line up:
On Sunday 30 October 2011 Hasselt (BE) will host the best of new wave, EBM, electro, synthpop, post punk, darkwave and industrial. For this 3rd edition the festival will work with 2 stages in the main hall of the Ethias Arena so that visitors no longer need to choose between 2 different halls.
Here’s a round-up of the bands playing:
FRONT 242 (BE) – Undeniable the biggest electronic band that Belgium ever was able to export before, during and after (and not thanks to) the New Beat era. Signed nowadays with the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix they are set for a few more surprises in the next months. The influential Belgian band will celebrate its 30th birthday at Sinner’s Day. Happy birthday guys!
THE CULT (UK) – The band became cult itself by melting Led Zeppelin’s hard rock with The Doors’ mystique and The Cure’s dark new wave. If there’s one The Cult song that you all know, it’s the anthem and million seller “She Sells Sanctuary” which was recorded for the band’s second album “Love” (1985). This will be a unique opportunity to see the band live.
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS (UK) – The Psychedelic Furs were top of the bill in the Club during Sinner’s Day 2010. It was their first concert in Belgium since 25 years. They are back now for the main stage bringing a mix between punk and pop.
THE EXPLOITED (UK) – Punk and New Wave, the pair has gone together for years. Since 1980 The Exploited has been the image ‘par excellence’ of the punk movement with “Punk’s Not Dead” being their first legendary album. 11 guitar players, 10 bass players and 8 drummers, we’ll see singer Wattie Buchan showing that the band has still enough guts after 31 odd years.
JOHN FOXX AND THE MATHS (UK) – John Foxx was the original singer of Ultravox and was the very first British artist to actually make a complete synthesizer album. Foxx was also the guy who penned “Underpass”. Enough said? Well, he also was responsible of Gareth Jones joining up with Mute records.
RECOIL (UK) – Recoil is the project of Alan Wilder, the former musical director, sound sculptor, producer, magician (…) of Depeche Mode. Wilder was also one of the first musicians to work with samples. Live he creates a universe of sounds which you hoped you’d have heard before. Expect the necessary Depeche Mode hints during the live show. This is one of the last shows Recoil will probably bring for a very long time, so make sure to be there.
BLANCMANGE (UK) – Contemporaries of Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The and more (they were all featured on the Some Bizarre CD compilation with rare to find tracks or versions), Blancmange brings catchy synthpop presented by their first big worldhit “Living On The Ceiling”. In the rest of Europe they scored massively with the brilliant track “Don’t Tell Me”.
DIAMANDA GALAS (USA) – We thought we had missed our last chance to see her live at work, but behold, there’s always Sinner’s Day to make us happy. The American diva with Greek roots has an amazing voice, period. Her 3,5 octaves cut through you like a knife. From vocal terror to endearing blues and back. We couldn’t have described it better. For the connaisseurs, she also sang vocals on various Recoil tracks. A must see if you are more an eclectic music fan.
KMFDM (GER) – Teutonic sounds will come from KMFDM, better know as Kein Mehrheid Fuer Die Mitleid (or as ‘Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode’). The band was founded by Sascha Konietzko in 1984. Konietzko literally lives and breathes industrial.
THE MISSION (UK) – Here’s another Side-Line favorite (really Wayne!). The band singlehanded helped give gothic a face (Andrew Elderitch being too numb) and got massive MTV airtime with “Deliverance” or yet the beautiful “Butterfly on a wheel”. On Sinner’s Day they will celebrates their 25th anniversary. The gig will be the only concert in Belgium this year.
KARL BARTOS (GER) – Kraftwerk is half dead, long live Karl Bartos. Expect bleeps and beeps that lay in the line of what he used to do with Kraftwerk. We are very much looking forward to see this Einzelgaenger at work.
VISAGE (UK) – Visage is the brainchild of the remarkable Steve Strange, who not only graced the tabloids for the brilliant tunes he crafted but also for his very chaotic life style. His major hit “Fade To Grey” is still being played worldwide. Let’s see what he can deliver us live in 2011.
PATTI SMITH (USA) – This American lady is labeled as ‘the ultimate queen of new wave’. Debby Harry was better looking so is said – well tastes differ – but Smith surely was more vigorous. Her most famous songs are “Gloria”, “Because The Night”, “Dancing Barefoot” and “People Have The Power”.
Doors open at 12AM, and the first show will start at 1PM. The last band will end at around 1AM, followed by after party. Tickets are only 58 euro in presale, so head for www.sinnersday.com to get hold of yours!
Skinny Puppy – Handover (Snippet) [2011]
Here’s a teaser from Skinny Puppy
Hello friends!
I decided to make cutting-snippet from the upcoming album Skinny Puppy – “Handover”. It will be released October 28, 2011.
Enjoy!Tracklist:
01 Ovirt
02 Cullorblind
03 Wavy
04 AshAs
05 Gambatte
06 Icktums
07 Point
08 Brownstone
09 Vyrisus
10 Village
11 NoiseXPre-order the album for you here http://www.amazon.de/s/275-1987046-7605069?ie=UTF8&search-type=ss&tag…
Stereoklang talks to Welle:Erdball on gear, radio stations and the release of their new album “Der Kalte Krieg”
“Der Kalte Krieg” is the name of Welle:Erdball new album featuring covers of songs during the Cold War era. We wanted to know more of what has happened with the band since the DVD Zeitsturm was released and really understand what this Homo Futura project is all about. Honey and Freuline Plastique took some time to chat with us and transmit the latest buzz from the Funkhausstudio.
Why did you start Homo Futura and what is it that you can do there that you cannot do in Welle:Erdball?
In the begining it was “Das Präparat” that started as an official Welle:Erdball side project. However, when we split up there were still some shows to do, so we did them anyway with a different set up (F.Nstein & Plastique). This worked out really fine and was a lot of fun. So we decided to keep going and it was really fun to create a new band, new image, new stage show etc.
Official video of “homo~futura – Links-Rechts”
The Zeitmaschine played an important role in the DVD you released last year. Do you see yourself as time travellers when it comes to your music and the band image?
We’re traveling through time constantly – just take a look at your watch! Apart from that, music is definately a good way to travel through time with your mind.
You once said (some 10 years ago) that Welle:Erdball had a long way to go before reaching the goal of Welle:Erdball – The goal was to sound like Welle:Erdball. Have you reached that goal now and how is it shown in your music and visuals?
I think we are really close with the new album “Der Kalte Krieg”. But we haven’t really reached our goal yet. It might sound hard to believe, but since the start of Welle: Erdball, all the concepts and partly the names of the broadcasts and songs were already set. And we still have to accomplish a couple of things on this list.
So it won’t be over for a long time.
Could we expect a radio show by Welle:Erdball including only Gainsbourg song? We feel that the work of Serge matches the Welle concept very well. We’re sure he would approve of you bringing his work to a younger generation.
Probably not. We’re not a “cover band” although we appreciate Gainsbourg’s work a lot.
But actually the upcoming release “Der Kalte Krieg” will contain only cover versions of favorite songs from different artists about the cold war and others.
Serge Gainsbourg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg’s extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize. His legacy has been firmly established, and he is often regarded as one of the world’s most influential popular musicians.
You have a lot of political and social ambitions with your songs, ranging from the criticism of gaming consoles to the man-machine integration. What areas are your main concerns today and why, and would you agree on the theories of a technological Singularity that has been put forward by e.g Kurzweil?
It is hard to comment on this. Since the opinion of Welle: Erdball not always is the personal opinion. I find it important that you first have an opinion at all and that there is a message in the music and in the lyrics. Not: “Come on, let’s have a party tonight!” :). And we see it as our duty to have a social commitment but we are no judges, who tell the audience what to think.It is only important that you form your own opinion or that there is a chance to do so.”
What is it that you like about the 50’s sound?
Well we’re using 50s asthetics since the beginning and we’re all big fans of this aera. The sound of the 50s and the subculture behind it was one of the first “punk” movements in music history.
Probably the most charming way of going against the mainstream.
You describe yourself as hard working, keeping you self busy 28 hours a day. Is that just the German spirit and work morale showing or do you have an artistic fire burning inside?
I don’t know if it is the German mentality, maybe a little…But under any circumstances is it the Welle: Erdball-mentality.
Read the full interview here >>
Two brand new synth videos from APOPTYGMA BERZERK and Emmon
Teaser from APOPTYGMA BERZERK’s new album: BLACK EP vol 2.
Music video for Slottet by Emmon made by Frida Sjöstam and Lena Trapp 2011.
What does the future sound like? – An exclusive interview with Andy McCluskey of OMD
Time for yet another synth-pop pioneer to enter the front stage, here at Stereoklang. I had the pleasure to talk to none other then Andy McCluskey, 50% of the legendary act Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, OMD for short. Few other acts have had such an influential role in the development of the electronic pop music scene, with classic hits like Maid of Orleans, Enola Gay, Messages to name but a few. I wanted to ask Andy all about OMDs re-emergence on the music scene, their work in the studio, past and present, and of course their most recent album “History of Modern”.
Looking back
For those growing up in the late 70’s and 80’s, OMD was as well-known to “synthpoppers” as any of the other leading acts at that time, i.e. Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, Gary Numan, Yazoo to name but a few. I asked Andy how it all started. He lets us know that he and Paul started composing music when they were about 16, basically making music with what they had at hand (consider this was mid 1970s really primitive in other words). Andy was asked to join the band that Paul was involved in, but pretty quickly realized that they had much more in common and decided to go on their own. So in the very early days, what was later to become OMD, it all started as a pure hobby. Back in Liverpool it is easy to picture two young guys at home listening to Kraftwerk and dreaming of success. It was also in Liverpool that their first real gig came about, at a club called Eric’s. It was also at Eric’s that they saw other bands that were thinking along the same lines, like The Normal (featuring Daniel Miller) that made Andy and Paul realize that what they were doing had relevance on the music scene.
Steelberry Clones – “where did the band name come from?” Andy – “we were assigned to do a one off event and we really wanted to come up with the most preposterous name they could ever think of – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – having absolutely know meaning whatsoever”. “There were no master plan!”.
Biggest milestone
With a career covering decades I certainly thought that Andy would think of any of their great concerts or when any of their now legendary albums like the poetic “Architecture and Morality”, ecstatic “Junk Culture” or “Dazzle Ships” hit the shelves, selling millions of copies, being the obvious choice. But no, Andy tells me that the biggest milestone for him was when he, in his own hands, was holding their first ever 7” vinyl single “Electricity”. “This was a record by Paul and I!”, Andy says. This must truly have been a magic moment, as a any teenager at that time with a passion for music would browse through the import boxes in your local record shop as a weaken treat, finding rare issues of cool acts, imagine then to find your own piece of work.
With the single in hand, gigs started to come and OMD played as warm up act to Joy Division. Then Gary Numan, who had just bought their single Electricity asked if they would like to perform with him. The following year OMD themselves were the main attraction. Andy also remembers that this was also the first time, when performing with Joy Division, that they saw a real Pollard Syndrum in live action. The Pollard Syndrum was one of the first electronic drums and was capable of many different sounds. The sound favored by most recording artists was a sine wave that pitch-bends down, most famously heard at the beginning of “Good Times Roll”, the opening track of the Cars’ 1978 debut album.
History of Modern
“History of Modern” represents a highly anticipated come back from one of the most influential electronic pop acts to date. Skeptics were questioning if they could re-invent themselves and why are they doing a retro-flirt. I kindly asked Andy about the retro-flirt and although Andy was not so keen on the term retro in relation to the new album he admits that if going back to your roots and re-discover that unique and distinctive OMD sound, ”then yes let us call it retro”. For Paul and Andy it was really important to get that “voice” of OMD back, that sound they left behind. “We spoke with our own authentic sound”, Andy says.
Starting to work on the new album it was important to OMD that it shouldn’t be a copy; they needed to have new and fresh ideas. According to Andy “there are too many bands of our generation that do not have anything more to say.”
DATAMASKIN
