En Esch has announced his En Esch 2026 tour, a nine-date US run scheduled for April and May.

The Berlin-based musician and former KMFDM, Pigface, and PIG member will perform material from across his catalogue, including songs from the 2024 album “Dance Hall Putsch”. “Dance Hall Putsch” was released on September 27, 2024 via GIVE/TAKE. The record is available in vinyl, CD, and digital formats.

En Esch 2026 tour dates

• 4.23 Detroit, MI – Smalls
• 4.24 Milwaukee, WI – Da Bar
• 4.25 Chicago, IL – Live Wire Lounge w/project .44
• 4.27 Davenport, IA – Racoon Motel
• 4.28 Minneapolis, MN – Uptown VFW w/Dissociate
• 5.01 Parsippany, NJ – Dark Force Fest
• 5.06 Richmond, VA – Fallout
• 5.08 Tampa, FL – New World Music Hall
• 5.09 Jacksonville, FL – The Albatross

About En Esch

En Esch is the stage name of Berlin-based Nicklaus Schandelmaier, a musician born on March 23, 1968. He was a member of KMFDM from 1985 to 1999 and later worked with Pigface, PIG, Slick Idiot, and Mona Mur.

His solo discography began with “Cheesy” in 1993 followed by later solo releases including “Spänk”, “Trash Chic”, “Et Nos Unum Sumus”, and more recently “Dance Hall Putsch”. After KMFDM’s split in 1999, he formed Slick Idiot with Günter Schulz, then later collaborated with Mona Mur on “120 Tage” in 2009 and a second album in 2011.

Belgian post-punk band The Names have released the remix and companion album “Balancing Chaos (RMXing The Names)” via Spleen+, the post-punk division of Brussels label Alfa Matrix. The 17-track release appears as a CD digipack and as a digital album through the band’s official Bandcamp page.

“Balancing Chaos” expands on the 2025 studio album “Encore!” with 13 remixes and 4 original album versions of “Far From The Factories”, “Watching For The New World”, “Last Train From Nowhere” and “Apophenia”. Digital pre-orders are available now with the two advance tracks: “Last Train From Nowhere (Gil Robert retrofuturistic remix)” and “Procrastination (Hard Facts remix)”.

The release follows a run of Spleen+ titles that reintroduced the band through the 2-track single “Far From The Factories“, the four-track “Volume” EP, the full-length “Encore!“, the “Swimming With Brian Jones” EP, and the digital “Procrastination” EP centred on the track of the same name.

Remixers include Jean-Marc Lederman, Kyiv-based producer Hard Facts, Gil Robert, Nevel (featuring Reverend Basstorius), Eden, Mike Theis, Halcyon Loop, Rob G. Nichols, Diskodiktator and Error Fate.

Jean-Marc Lederman contributes a rework of “Watching For The New World” dedicated to the late Annik Honoré, while Hard Facts delivers a club-oriented version of “Procrastination”, following earlier work on the “Procrastination” EP. Multiple mixes by Gil Robert are also included, ranging from a retro-futuristic take on “Last Train From Nowhere” to an extended dark electro pop version of “Apophenia” and an ambient electro-focused treatment of “Swimming With Brian Jones”.

Mike Theis, known for work with artists including Tricky and Massive Attack, appears here with the “morecowbell” remix of “Last Train From Nowhere”. Additional interpretations by Eden, Nevel, Halcyon Loop, Rob G. Nichols, Diskodiktator and Error Fate complete the set before the album versions return the material to its original band arrangements.

The new version of “Procrastination (Hard Facts remix)” is accompanied by a video as well.

Also the single “Far From The Factories”, which closes “Balancing Chaos” in its album version, received the video treatment.

About The Names

The Names formed in Brussels, Belgium, in 1978, emerging from an earlier local group called The Passengers. The original core featured bassist, vocalist and songwriter Michel Sordinia together with guitarist Marc Deprez and drummer/keyboard player Christophe Den Tandt, with Robert Frankson and Isabelle Hanrez passing through the line-up in the early years.

Their debut single “Spectators of Life” appeared in 1979 on WEA as part of a push for locally produced new wave. After a concert by Joy Division in Brussels, the band signed to Factory Records and, with new drummer Luc Capelle, recorded the single “Nightshift” in Manchester with producer Martin Hannett in 1980. Further singles “Calcutta” (on Factory Benelux) and “The Astronaut” (on Les Disques du Crépuscule) led into their first album “Swimming” in 1982. A BBC session for John Peel’s Radio 1 show that same year was later issued as the digital EP “Radio Session 1982”.

The band split in the mid-1980s as the initial post-punk wave receded, but Sordinia and Deprez continued together in the project Jazz, releasing the album “Nightvision”. Archival releases such as “Postcard Views”, the expanded “Swimming + Singles” editions and the compilation “Spectators of Life” kept the early catalogue in circulation through labels including LTM and Factory Benelux.

The Names reunited for the “A Factory Night (and then again)” event at Plan K in Brussels in 2007 and moved back into the studio. They released “Monsters Next Door” in 2009 via Str8line and “Stranger Than You” in 2015 on Factory Benelux, followed by the live album “German Nights” in 2018 and the archival set “Hidden Tracks” in 2021.

From 2024 onward, the band became part of the Spleen+ roster within the Alfa Matrix group, issuing the single “Far From The Factories”, the “Volume” EP, the studio album “Encore!”, the “Swimming With Brian Jones” EP and the digital “Procrastination” EP. The latter centred on multiple versions of “Procrastination”, including the Hard Facts remix that now reappears on “Balancing Chaos”.

German electro/future pop project Elektrostaub has just released a third studio album, “Humility” via the Belgian label Alfa Matrix as a CD and digital edition. The 12-track studio album again centres mastermind Patrick Knoch’s songwriting and production, built entirely around guest vocal performances. Musically the album offers a mix between future pop, synth pop and electro wave.

Guest contributions include Richard Bjørklund of Spektralized, Salva Maine from Spanish act Culture Kultür, vocalist Lis van den Akker, Norwegian synth project Echo Image, British artist J:Dead, singer and producer Alex Braun, Lilli K. Engelhardt, René Anke of Logic & Olivia, German duo Beyond Border and Mel Gúntzelsson of Future Trail / davaNtage.

Two tracks from the album have already appeared as singles and EPs. “Falling” features Pal Magnus Rybom of Echo Image and originally appeared on both the “Too Far From The Pack EP” and the “Falling EP“, which were released digitally in 2025 via Alfa Matrix.

The title track “Too far from the pack”, featuring Salva Maine, also forms part of that 2nd EP and returns here in its main album version and a separate female vocal edit with Lilli K. Engelhardt.

About Elektrostaub

German solo project Elektrostaub operates from the northern Ruhr area of Germany and focuses on electro-pop and future pop. Programmer and composer behind the 2007 formed project is Patrick Knoch, who is each time joined by a rotating line-up of guest vocalists.

The early Elektrostaub catalogue initially appeared via the German label Echozone and featured several collaborative singles. The debut album “Birthday And Death” followed on November 17, 2017 on Echozone, after the singles “Unforgotten” (with Henrik Iversen), “Also Without You” (with Anne Goldacker) and “Funeral Of Love”, which combined harsher EBM-leaning production with guest vocals from Ruined Conflict and Nordika. This material was later reissued when Elektrostaub joined Alfa Matrix, making the full back catalogue available again through the Belgian label.

The second studio album “Reliance” arrived in December 2021 on Alfa Matrix as a CD and digital release, again built around a long list of guest singers, including Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Henrik Iversen, !Distain, René Anke, Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Jan Dieckmann (Norderney), Alex Rush (Unity One), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), Damasius Venys (Mondträume / Mental Exile), Alex Nórdika and Darrin Huss (Psyche).

Between and around the two albums, Elektrostaub built a catalogue of EPs and singles. The 2020 “Wake Up” EP marked the project’s first Alfa Matrix release. It was followed by the 2021 single “We Are Dreamers” with Patrik Hansson of Vanguard / Uncreated.

Recent years saw further EPs on Alfa Matrix, including reworked material from the debut, standalone singles and collaborations. In 2025, the label released the “Too Far From The Pack EP”, followed by the “Falling” remix EP later that year which centered around the track holding guest vocals by Pal Magnus Rybom of Echo Image.

Make sure to read our interview with Elektrostaub to know more about the project.

Greek goth rock/metal band Blossom Death will release their debut album “Spirit” on May 21, 2026 via The Circle Music. The release follows the band’s earlier “Mistaken” record and the split EP “Eon Must Fail” with In Burial.

“Spirit” comes as a limited digicd with a 12-page booklet, limited to 500 copies. You can pre-order the album right now from The Circle Music. The six-track album includes “Stone Kiss”, “Fallen”, “Morning After”, “Solitude”, “Spirit of Life”, and “Before I Can See”.

The album was already teased with “Stone Kiss” as the lead single with an official video.

About Blossom Death

Blossom Death was formed in late 2018 in Varkiza, Greece, by Kostas “Corax” Katoikos, Marita Makaronidi, and drummer Argy Deligianopoulos. The project is in fact Katoikos’s post-Sorrowful Angels band.

The band’s first release was the three-track “Mistaken”, holding the tracks “Mistaken”, “All That I Want”, and “Pad Out”. It appeared digitally on December 13, 2019 and then as a mini-CD via Sleaszy Rider in March 2020.

Blossom Death returned on March 10, 2023 with the split CD “Eon Must Fail”, released by Sleaszy Rider. That record paired three Blossom Death tracks – “Beyond Time”, “Along with the Tide”, and “Naphtalene” – with two tracks by In Burial.

For “Spirit”, the band signed with The Circle Music. The current line-up consists of Kostas “Corax” Katoikos on guitar and vocals, Marita Makaronidi on vocals and lyrics, Johny Litinakis on bass guitar, Vasilis Koronas on lead guitar, Evmara Katoikou on additional vocals, and Argy Deligianopoulos on drums.

“Spirit” is the band’s first full-length album.

Guillaume Sonne Ombrée is a French multi-instrumentalist who releases his debut album “Calvaire” under the name Ombrée. The background and immediate impetus for this work carry deep emotional weight, as the album was directly inspired by the passing of the artist’s father. It stands as a form of mourning, giving rise to six intense and personal compositions.

Musically, the album often recalls the experimental edge of the 1980s Industrial scene. A dark, raw atmosphere permeates the work, framed by the tolling of a church bell that serves as both its opening and closing motif. In between, a dense collage of sounds and textures unfolds, including field recordings that are tightly compressed into the mix. Guitar and bass lines are heavily distorted, twisted into tormented shapes and submerged in layers of electronic effects. At times, I find myself missing a voice—some kind of rough, almost archaic outcry—yet the absence never detracts too much from the overall impact.

What Ombrée delivers remains compelling and immersive. The production will undoubtedly resonate with listeners drawn to Industrial, Experimental, and Drone music, and Last Few Days in particular feels like a subtle bridge back to the spirit of the 1980s. (Rating:7½).

Listen to “Foie”:

https://ishallsinguntilmylandisfree.bandcamp.com/track/foie

The Italian darkwave / post-punk quartet Christine Plays Viola have released “Desolate Moments“, the third video-single taken from “F.I.V.E. – Fear Increases Violent Emotions”, their fifth studio album, released on January 19, 2026 via Cleopatra Records.

“Desolate Moments is about that fragile space where you realize you’ve lost yourself, but you’re still conscious enough to feel it,” guitarist and songwriter Fabrizio Giampietro says. He adds that the line “you exist nowhere” sums up the song’s central idea of losing your place in reality. Discussing the clip, he says the band chose silhouettes instead of faces to reflect “that dissolution of identity.”

The “F.I.V.E. – Fear Increases Violent Emotions” album is available from Bandcamp.

The line-up for the album consisted of Massimo Ciampani, Fabrizio Giampietro, Marco Di Ianni, and Gianluca Orsini, with production by the band and recording, mixing, and mastering by Salvatore Carducci.

About Christine Plays Viola

The Italian dark / new wave band Christine Plays Viola formed in Pratola Peligna, in Italy’s Abruzzo region, in 2008. The earliest release was “Promo 2010”, followed by a deal with the German label afmusic for the debut full-length “Innocent Awareness”, released on May 13, 2011. That same period also produced the band’s first video, “Witch of Silence”, directed by Loreto Valente.

“Promo 2012” was followed by the EP “Leocadia” on May 31, 2013. “Vacua” followed in 2014 on Cold Insanity Music. On February 27, 2015, the band released the 7-inch EP “The Stars Can’t Frighten” which included covers of Joy Division’s “Atmosphere” and Talk Talk’s “Such A Shame.”

Their third album, “Spooky Obsessions“, arrived on September 30, 2016 through Manic Depression Records. In a review we described it as “an interesting production for adapting good-old new-wave standards into a very own and contemporary format.” The band then self-released “The bonds should be only silver threads” on May 14, 2018 and returned with “Fading” on May 18, 2020 through Manic Depression and Icy Cold Records.

Later singles included “Blood Calls Blood” on March 17, 2023 and “Jackie’s Curse” on January 5, 2024. Earlier this year they released the album “F.I.V.E.”.

When I discovered Blac Kolor’s debut album “Wide Noise” in 2014, I immediately knew that this project, driven by Hendrick Grothe, carried something special. Over the years, this German sound architect has built a reputation within a select circle of Electro enthusiasts in search of innovation and, above all, originality. Blac Kolor has always blended a wide range of influences. Whether you call it IDM, Industrial-Techno, EBM, or even Trance, this artist moves fluidly between styles, reshaping them into something uniquely his own.

At the end of 2025, Ant-Zen released the sixth Blac Kolor studio album – excluding remix albums – “Arca”. Once again, it hits the mark: an intelligent Electro production with a menacing atmosphere, driven by magical analog textures and powerful bass lines. It was the direct inspiration for this interview with someone I consider to be one of the greatest geniuses of his genre and his generation. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Blac Kolor interview

Q: What was the basis for the new Blac Kolor album “Arca”? Did the music come first, or were you influenced by a specific theme or concept that you then built upon?

Hendrick: “Arca” can be understood more or less as a successor to my penultimate album “Weltenbrand”. For me, the two albums are closely intertwined thematically. “Arca” continues the fundamental critique of human behavior that was already at the heart of “Weltenbrand,” but adds the element of hope.

“Weltenbrand” concludes with the statement that it’s all too late, nothing can be saved, everything has been said… and that’s exactly how I felt back then. However, I didn’t want to simply accept that and wanted to add something positive to the story –the element of hope. Tracks like “Lake Of Sunken Worries” and “Fragile Moments” were already written during the “Weltenbrand” period and then laid the foundation for “Arca.”

Q: Would it be fair to describe “Arca” as a conceptual Blac Kolor album, using the so-called biblical plagues as a metaphor for contemporary society? Can you explain what the album is about in more detail, how this idea came about, and what it reflects about your personal view of the world today?

Hendrick: Absolutely. “Arca” is a concept album through and through. As I mentioned before, I wanted to give the whole thing a hopeful feel. The ark as a symbol of hope and salvation was relatively easy to find, and from the image of an ark, it wasn’t a big leap to the Ten Biblical Plagues, which I’d always wanted to use as a concept container.

Each of the original plagues was intended to serve as a kind of template for a characteristic or a dark side of human existence. Themes like Fear, Violence, Hate, but also Greed and Technology were processed and squeezed into the concept of the Ten Plagues. However, the intro track, “Lake Of Sunken Worries,” deliberately breaks with this idea. The piece symbolically represents hope and is meant to reflect the positive overall tone.

The message is, ‘We may have destroyed everything, but we also have it in our own hands to make sure everything turns out alright in the end’. WE ARE THE ARK.

The blood-red cover artwork (red in reference to the first biblical plague, ‘blood’) is by no means destructive or negative, but rather intended to convey peace and hope, encouraging us to always live self-reflectively and responsibly. All in all, yet another great contradiction in terms. As is so often the case with Blac Kolor.

Q: What triggered or influenced you musically during the making of “Arca”, and how do you feel this Blac Kolor album compares to your previous work?

Hendrick: The goal is clear: each new release should be better than the previous one. Whether that’s the case or not is up to each listener and fan to decide. I think “Arca” is perhaps a bit more mature or grown-up than its predecessors. But the comparison is really, really difficult. I definitely didn’t want to repeat myself, yet still remain true to the typical Blac Kolor sound. Musically speaking, I was clearly guided by the happy accidents I encountered while working with my modular systems. That’s for sure.

The challenge was finding sounds that were unconventional, fresh, and bold on the one hand, and yet still had a certain catchiness on the other. But it’s also a fact that “Arca” is the album with the most EBM of them all. I personally think that the EBM genre never really fit the description of the Blac Kolor world, but there are a suspiciously large number of EBM basslines on it. Not very fresh and not very bold, you might think. But maybe I also wanted to appeal to some extent. To myself, for example.

Q: Looking back, what will you remember most about the composition and production process of “Arca”? What were the most difficult moments or challenges along the way? And eventually the innovations?

Hendrick: The most difficult part of the production was deciding how wild and unhinged certain elements could be. When does a track still work, and when does the perception become jarring because the elements are too wild? Evaluating the aforementioned random results from the modular synths and integrating them sensibly into the production from a mixing perspective was the most complicated part.

Furthermore, this time it was really difficult to decide which tracks would make it onto the album and which wouldn’t. Ten was the conceptual limit, but I had at least three times that many to choose from. Creating a cohesive listening experience and a cohesive sonic journey from that was also very challenging.

But I would never call myself ‘innovative’. If that’s the case, let others do it. I have only one simple rule: if it sounds like something that’s already been done somewhere before, by me or anyone else, then it gets deleted immediately. I think this filtering process works very well because Blac Kolor songs are many things, but certainly not ordinary or familiar.

Q: It’s safe to say you have a strong passion for vintage analog synths and machines. Where did this fascination originate, which machines are your favorites, and are there any others you’re still hoping to add to your collection?

Hendrick:Oh, this topic is very, very tedious. I somehow stepped down the ‘Eurorack rabbit hole’ and I’ll never find my way out. It’s both a blessing and a curse. There’s little rational explanation for it. Modular synthesizers are simply my path. But I try to keep my production methods open to all kinds of sources. I also use quite a lot of software in parallel. But the most fun is always the search for the next crazy sample.

I spend a lot of time in front of the modular system, running all sorts of things through the patch paths and waiting for the unexpected. My favorite machines change very frequently and quite quickly, though. If I were to name-drop something right now, I’d mention the Antilope from Manifold Research Centre or the Steampipe from Erica Synths. Crazy pieces of equipment with a lot of unpredictability.

I’ve stopped putting specific instruments on a wishlist, following the ‘must-have’ pattern. I see gear collecting as a kind of addiction, and desire and addiction satisfaction are two different things. Unfortunately, I think I’ll buy my future favorite in the next few weeks.

Q: Artificial intelligence is increasingly entering the world of music, which—at least on the surface—seems at odds with artists like you who are deeply involved in sound design and hands-on creation. What is your perspective on this development, and how do you see it evolving in the future?

Hendrick:I think we should take a closer look at the intended use of AI before making any distinctions. AI as support software in production processes will definitely prevail, as it saves time and money in achieving the desired result. No one will be able to escape these efficiency tools. And no one will later ask, ‘Did AI mix and master this’? No one will care anymore. For manufacturers, this means that the market is in flux. Customers will expect to benefit from the potential savings and demand more performance for less money. The pressure will increase on those who accept contract work.

From an artistic perspective, I don’t think AI will play a role anytime soon. An artist is so much more than just their musical output. People are interested in people, in stories, and the emotions behind them. Machines will have a very hard time here, even in the future. I find it difficult to imagine us eagerly awaiting the new album from AI XYZ, ordering a signed vinyl, and securing tickets for their upcoming show. And I’m sure you’re not exactly thrilled about conducting an interview with an AI tomorrow.

Generated music will continue to exist and will certainly increase significantly. Sooner or later, marketing platforms will have to take a clear stance on this. Bandcamp has already banned AI-generated content, which can be seen as a clear position. But if there are still enough listeners who are satisfied with generated rubbish, AI profiles will also emerge. However, I can’t take any of this seriously, and it doesn’t worry me. With increasing storage capacity, the amount of data clutter also increases. That has always been the case and will remain so. It’s simply a shame about all the energy wasted on such AI.

Q: How important is live performance within the overall Blac Kolor project? How do you prepare for live shows, and what are the biggest challenges when performing on stage?

Hendrick: Live performances are very, very important. I love watching the audience when they’re watching me. I’d love to play much more often. So, all you promoters out there –get in touch!

I also try to give each show its own unique touch. I always prepare new parts for each show and leave plenty of room for improvisation. That’s the only way I can keep it fun for myself. It’s supposed to be fun, not work;-)

The biggest challenges are always technical. Some piece of equipment is always breaking down, or Ableton Live is acting up. Things like that. The search for the optimal setup is ongoing and not yet complete.

Q: Finally, are you currently working on any new Blac Kolor material, and what are your plans for 2026?

Hendrick: My problem is that I currently have too much new material. Enough for three albums, probably. I’m currently giving it a bit of structure, organizing it, planning releases and finding a home for the material. Everything’s still pretty vague.

But what I can reveal is that there will be at least two more Blac Kolor music videos. I’m really looking forward to that right now. Whether all of this will happen in 2026 or maybe not until 2027, I can’t say yet. I’m definitely not stressing about it. I just let myself drift a bit.

Giorgio Ricci remains a busy bee. Known for his past in Templebeat, he is currently also involved with the successful Post-Punk group They Die and released a brilliant minimalist album with Monosonik last year. Toward the end of that same year, he returned with a new self-released album from Templezone, a project that has already spawned three great albums in the past.

Templezone sounds completely different from his other projects and is often described as a kind of sequel to Templebeat. Apart from a striking similarity in the name, however, the music diverges significantly. Ricci builds on a solid Techno foundation, reinforced with elements of EBM and touches of Trance. The album is an explosive, club-oriented work that is impossible to remain indifferent to. The dark atmosphere he injects throughout makes it both accessible and engaging for a wider audience. The tracks are carefully crafted and occasionally enhanced with distorted spoken samples. Some passages take on a rhythmic Cinematic quality, while others lean more toward Psy-Trance.

Productions like this inevitably attract the comment that they are too Techno for an EBM audience and too dark—or too EBM—for a Techno audience. For me, however, it’s purely about the music and its impact, and in that respect, this record is nothing short of a sonic orgasm. Giorgio Ricci is above all a true musical genius in everything he gets involved in.  (Rating:9).

Listen to “Extreme”:

https://templezone.bandcamp.com/track/deadline

With Years Of Shame, the established Icy Cold Records welcomes a new French duo.

The debut album features eight tracks that immediately lead us down a familiar Dark-Wave path. There is a well-balanced interplay between the guitar, which provides the necessary sense of sorrow and melancholy, and the keyboards, which add an extra, layer of atmosphere—sometimes icy—while also reinforcing the melodic structure. The vocals can sound somewhat sterile at times, yet they also carry a certain sensuality, forming a fitting complement to the music.

Years Of Shame may not bring anything radically new to the genre, but they will undoubtedly resonate with Post-Punk fans thanks to a number of particularly strong tracks. (Rating:7½).

Listen to “Heat”:

https://icycoldrecords.bandcamp.com/track/heat-3

(By Janos Janurik) Following recent misleading reports suggesting the end of Erasure, it has been officially clarified that Vince Clarke and Andy Bell continue to work together on new material. The duo is currently in the studio and already discussing possible touring scenarios for the upcoming release. While concrete details are still under wraps, one thing is certain: Erasure are far from finished. In the meantime, the spotlight shifts to Vince Clarke himself – with a comprehensive remix collection highlighting a different side of his work.

About ‘Remix/Remodel – The Vince Clarke Remixes’

If there is one name synonymous with the history of synth-pop, it is Vince Clarke. As a founding member of Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and Erasure, he has shaped generations of electronic music fans.

With “Remix/Remodel – The Vince Clarke Remixes”, he now turns the focus to a facet of his career that often remains in the background: his work as a remixer.

This double CD collection brings together 26 remixes Clarke has created over the years for a wide range of artists – all personally selected for this official release. Rather than a simple retrospective, the compilation offers a deeper look into his production style beyond his own projects.

The album will be released on June 26, 2026 via Cherry Red Records.

Among the highlights:

• many of these remixes are available on physical format for the first time 
• the cover features Clarke’s cat Smudge, photographed by the artist himself 
• liner notes are provided by music writer Richard Evans 

The collection spans an impressive range of collaborators, including Depeche Mode, OMD, Johnny Marr, Saint Etienne, Soft Cell, and Happy Mondays.

A particularly notable inclusion is the previously unreleased “Isolation (Vince Clarke Remix)” by Abazaba feat. Gogol Bordello, a reinterpretation of the classic by Joy Division.

Of course, with a catalogue as extensive as Clarke’s, fans may find themselves wishing for additional selections – such as remixes for Nitzer Ebb or Polly Scattergood. Still, the final tracklist presents a compelling and well-balanced overview of his remix work.

‘Remix/Remodel – The Vince Clarke Remixes’ tracklist:

Disc One

1. Happy Mondays – W.F.L. (Vince Clarke Remix)
2. Chad Valley – Up & Down (Vince Clarke Remix)
3. The Saturdays – Issues (Vince Clarke Club Mix)
4. Blossoms – To Do List (After The Breakup) feat. Findlay (Vince Clarke Remix)
5. Johnny Marr – Spirit Power And Soul (Vince Clarke Remix)
6. James Yorkston – A Moment Longer feat. Nina Persson (Vince Clarke Remix)
7. YOVA – Rain (Vince Clarke Remix)
8. Soft Cell – Bedsitter (Erasure Remix)
9. A Place To Bury Strangers – In Your Heart (Vince Clarke Remix)
10. Bleachers – I Wanna Get Better (Vince Clarke Remix)
11. Andy Bell – Dance For Mercy (Vince Clarke Remix)
12. Hifi Sean & David McAlmont – Real Thoughts In Real Time (Vince Clarke Remix)
13. Dido – End of Night – (Vince Clarke Remix)

Disc Two

1. Depeche Mode – Behind The Wheel (Vince Clarke Remix)
2. Fujiya & Miyagi – Fear Of Missing Out (Vince Clarke Remix)
3. Franz Ferdinand – No You Girls (Vince Clarke Remix)
4. Abazaba feat. Gogol Bordello – Isolation (Vince Clarke Remix)
5. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Almost (Vince Clarke Remix)
6. James Yorkston – Shallow (Vince Clarke Remix)
7. Saint Etienne – Blue Kite (Vince Clarke Remix)
8. Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development – A Shared Sense Of Purpose (Vince Clarke Remix)
9. Future Islands – Doves (Vince Clarke Remix)
10. Reed & Caroline – Electrons (Vince Clarke Remix)
11. Dubfire & Miss Kittin – Ride (Vince Clarke Remix)
12. Alka – Faito (Vince Clarke Remix)
13. VCMG – Aftermaths (Vince Clarke Remix)

With “Remix/Remodel – The Vince Clarke Remixes”, attention turns once again to a sometimes overlooked yet essential aspect of Vince Clarke’s work: his role as a remixer. The collection demonstrates just how timeless and adaptable his sound remains across different artists and eras – and why his influence on electronic pop music continues to resonate today.

“Remix/Remodel – The Vince Clarke Remixes” will be released on June 26, 2026 as a special 2-CD set via Cherry Red Records and is available for pre-order now at Lexer Music. Additional retailers, including Cherry Red, will follow in the coming days.

(Interview by Janos Janurik) After seven years, The Twilight Sad return with their most personal album to date – shaped by loss, resilience, and a deep creative bond with Robert Smith.

After a seven-year absence, The Twilight Sad return with It’s The Long Goodbye – an album born out of personal loss, mental health struggles, and the quiet strength it takes to carry on when life becomes overwhelming.

At its core lies a deeply human story. Frontman James Graham processes the illness and passing of his mother, while guitarist and producer Andy MacFarlane crafts a sonic landscape that moves between fragile intimacy and towering emotional intensity. The result is arguably the The Twilight Sad’s most direct and vulnerable work to date – less metaphor, more truth.

The new The Twilight Sad album was written over several years, with ideas exchanged during lockdown and gradually taking shape. A key figure in this process was Robert Smith of The Cure, who contributed not only musically but also creatively from an early stage – offering feedback, encouragement, and ultimately performing on multiple tracks.

It’s The Long Goodbye is also about endurance, connection, and the strange duality of darkness and light that defines both life and music.

We spoke with The Twilight Sadabout influences, grief, collaboration, and the realities of being an independent artist in 2026.

Interview with The Twilight Sad

Q: Listening to the new The Twilight Sad album, I was struck by how strongly it captures the atmosphere of classic dark alternative and post-punk music. At times it reminded me of the spirit of bands such as Joy Division, The Mission, The Sisters of Mercy, and from a later generation groups like Editors or Cold Cave. When you first started making music, which artists had the biggest influence on you?

Andy MacFarlane: When we first started we were mixing a lot of stuff together, like Sonic Youth, The Cure, Wire, The Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Arab Strap, Pavement, Daniel Johnston, Factory Records etc. We weren’t deliberately trying to sound like a particular band or genre, it was more like we were trying to be the thread that joined all our influences together.

Q: To me, Waiting For The Phone Call feels like one of the strongest songs on the album. If I were a radio DJ, it would definitely be in heavy rotation. It is also your first single in six years, and it features Robert Smith from The Cure. If you don’t mind revisiting the story: how did this collaboration come about, especially considering that he ended up contributing to several songs on the album?

Andy MacFarlane: Robert was involved at the early stages of writing the album, we’d send him demos and he’d give us feedback and suggestions. We had a night in a London Studio, with Robert and Mike Hedges, going through the demos. Robert was playing my acoustic guitar, and said he wanted to play guitar on the album, so I kept reminding/annoying him every week until we recorded the album.

Q: The Twilight Sad has previously toured with The Cure, and you will also be performing with them again this year. What was your reaction to their recent Grammy recognition? Do you think darker alternative music like the kind you create receives enough attention in today’s music landscape, or could moments like this help bring more focus to the genre?

James Graham: We’ve never been part of the music world when it comes to Awards or Award Ceremony’s. It’s just not something that’s entered our worlds or is something that we strive for. The biggest award in music is the people who you create a community with and come to the gigs/connect with your music. The Cure’s last album was a masterpiece and so inspirational for anyone like me. I don’t know what awards it received but it deserves all of the awards. When you receive a message or email from someone that says “this album helped me through something or made me see I’m not alone” that is the biggest award in the music industry. Real music will always reach the right people if it wins awards or not.

Q: The press material mentions that the album was deeply influenced by the illness and passing of your mother. In some ways this echoes the personal losses that Robert Smith has also processed through his music. Have you ever spoken with him about dealing with grief through songwriting, or does your relationship mostly stay within the musical sphere?

James Graham: We’ve spoken about all things life & death and everything about our music/how his music has inspired us to do what we do. When we would hang out after the gigs we’d just speak about the gig that night, the crowd, bands we loved, bands we didn’t love. It was just like being backstage with numerous bands over the years, but obviously completely different and completely amazing to be with someone we both love and respect. He’s our friend and then you talk about the important things in life with true friends and he is very much an amazing friend.

Q: One thing that really struck me in an interview was the idea that this new The Twilight Sad album came partly from the need to appear strong in situations where you don’t actually feel strong. While listening to Back To Fourteen, I was reminded of how, as teenagers, darker and melancholic themes in music can feel strangely romantic – but later in life, when personal loss becomes real, those same themes take on a very different meaning. Has your own relationship with darker music changed over the years in a similar way?

James Graham: I still tend to gravitate toward the darker side of art, music, film but since being very ill with my mental health, I have started to lean into things that make me happy. My children are giving me a second childhood in a way, discovering things through their eyes is a beautiful thing. I love dark arty kind of movies but I also love big stupid blockbuster movies. I love escapism, being able to get out of your own head and disappear into different worlds and adventures is something I truly love. I also love good pop music, I think writing a good pop song is probably one of the hardest things to do in music it’s something I haven’t done or attempted yet. I think it’s more of a balance now, I’ve let the dark in for so many years that I think it’s time to let some of the light in.

Q: One of the darkest and most melancholic moments on the album for me is Dead Flowers. Do you see it in any way as a tribute to the masters of melancholic alternative music, perhaps even artists like The Cure?

Andy MacFarlane: There’s definitely a lot of similarities with The Cure on this song, I’ve got their back catalogue imprinted in my brain through all the gigs we’ve played together, so it comes out in our music sometimes. It was all based around the drum pattern, I wanted to give it a lot of space, and once I had the bass line it came together very quickly, the guitar/synth melodies were improvised in a couple of takes when I was demoing it.

Q: If I had to choose another potential single from the album, Inhospitable/Hospital would definitely be one of my picks. Do you have personal favourite tracks from the album yourselves?

James Graham: Get Away From It All is the first song I remember writing for the album. It encapsulates everything that I was feeling at the time of writing it and musically I love what Andy created.

Q: The Twilight Sad will be touring across the UK and Europe this spring, followed by several shows as special guests of The Cure during the summer. Among the upcoming concerts, the three shows at Berlin’s Wuhlheide seem particularly exciting. Are there specific cities or venues on this tour that you are especially looking forward to?

James Graham: I’m really looking forward to all our German dates. Germany has really embraced what we do since our first album. Berlin is a city with such a rich musical history, I can’t wait for our own gig and the 3 nights with The Cure in the summer. There isn’t a gig that I’m not looking forward to, though, I can’t wait to be in a room with like minded emotional people. Our hometown gigs at The Glasgow Barrowlands will be incredibly special. The Barrowlands is the best venue in the world and my mother’s grandfather helped lay the famous wooden dance floor many many years ago so I have some family history inside that building.

Q: The album title It’s The Long Goodbye carries a very strong emotional weight. What does that phrase mean to you personally?

James Graham: Anyone who has experienced dementia in someone they love or any of the other horrific degenerative diseases out there they will know that you say goodbye to the person you love so many times before they leave, hence The Long Goodbye.

Q: This is the first The Twilight Sad album in seven years. What has changed the most for you as musicians during that time?

James Graham: It’s harder to tour, everything is going up in price and the artists are the ones that suffer because the price of things go up but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the artists fees are going up as well, I’m pretty sure across all types of music it’s the same story. Streaming, a great thing for consumers but again artists suffer, people seem to be ok spending £5 on a coffee that lasts for minutes but not £8-10 on an album that will be with you for the rest of your life. Vinyl sales are up because of big pop stars, which is amazing, but that success and momentum isn’t as true in the independent market which desperately needs a boost. I think we’re losing a lot of talented people to other professions because there’s no clear way of making a career out of being an artist. Artists need to be nurtured and given time to develop. Just look at us..6 albums in 20 years and it’s still a daily battle to keep this alive.

Editor’s note: With ‘It’s The Long Goodbye’, The Twilight Sad have created more than just another album, it handles survival, friendship, and emotional honesty. It’s also a reminder that even in the darkest moments, music can still offer connection – and, sometimes, a way forward.

The Twilight Sad – Headline shows

The live lineup shown in 2026 includes Simone Butler on bass and Cat Myers on drums.

• 12.04. IT-Mailand, Legend Club
• 14.04. CH-Zürich, Bogen F15.04. München, Ampere16.04. Berlin, Gretchen, Gretchen18.04. DK-Kopenhagen, Loppen
• 19.04. NO-Oslo, Parkteateret
• 20.04. SE-Stockholm, Slaktkyrkan
• 22.04. Hamburg, Grünspan23.04. NL-Utrecht, Tivolivredenburg Pandora Hall
• 25.04. Köln, Gebäude 926.04. BE-Brüssel, Rotonde – Botanique
• 27.04. FR–Paris, Le Trabendo
• 29.04. UK-Bristol, Electric Bristol
• 30.04. UK-London, Roundhouse
• 02.05. UK-Manchester, New Century Hall
• 03.05. UK-Newcastle upon Tyne, Boiler Shop
• 05.05. UK-Glasgow, Barrowlands
• 06.05. UK-Glasgow, Barrowlands
• 09.05. IE-Dublin, Button Factory
• 24.07. UK-Deer Shed Festival

On tour with The Cure:14.06. IT-Florenz, Visarno Arena

• 24.06. UK-Cardiff, Blackweir Fields
• 26.06. IE-Dublin, Marley Park
• 28.06. NI-Belfast, Belsonic
• 08.07. SK-Pohoda festival
• 10.07. Berlin, Wuhlheide11.07. Berlin, Wuhlheide12.07. Berlin, Wuhlheide

About The Twilight Sad

The Twilight Sad are a Scottish post-punk and indie rock band from Kilsyth, Lanarkshire, formed in 2003. The group was founded by James Graham and Andy MacFarlane and is now centered on that duo, with Graham on vocals and lyrics and MacFarlane on guitar, instrumentation, and songwriting.

They first released the EP “The Twilight Sad” in 2006, then followed with the studio albums “Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters” (2007), “Forget the Night Ahead” (2009), “No One Can Ever Know” (2012), “Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave” (2014), and “It Won/t Be Like This All the Time” (2019). The band released music through Fat Cat Records until 2018, then moved to Rock Action Records.

In 2025, The Twilight Sad became a duo, and in 2026 they returned with their sixth studio album, “It’s the Long Goodbye”, released on March 27 through Rock Action Records.

SINE (aka Rona Rougeheart) released the single “Cruel” today April 3 via Metropolis Records. The track previews “La Mordre“, the first full-length album for the project since signing to Metropolis Records. “La Mordre” will be out on May 22 in digital, CD, and LP formats.

The song follows the earlier album previews “Trauma Bondage”, “Succumb To Me” and “Blood + Wine”, all of which are included on “La Mordre”.

Rougeheart described “Cruel” as a song “about people who purposefully choose to be cruel to others. The words are both sarcastic and serious and I like the contrast of the lyrical content against the upbeat nature of the music, which otherwise makes it a fun dance track.”

The album is up for pre-order on Bandcamp as digital, CD, and vinyl.

About SINE

SINE is the Austin, Texas project created by singer and drummer Rona Rougeheart. Rougeheart started SINE in 2016 as an electronic band.

Rougeheart’s first full-length under the SINE name was “INSOMNIÆ”, released on January 11, 2019. That was followed by “Injected” on November 1, 2019. In 2021 she released “Desire, Denial and Paramania”, an 11-track set that pulled together earlier material and collaborations with Chris Connelly and Curse Mackey, plus remixes by Meat Beat Manifesto and NITE.

In 2022, SINE released “Mantis 1” on May 6, followed by the “Mantis 2” EP on August 26 and “Until (Clan of Xymox Remix)” on October 14. In 2023, Rougeheart issued “Find Me” with Sasha Darko and released “From Beyond” featuring Claus Larsen of Leaether Strip. The 2024 album “Luxuria” was produced by Claus Larsen and released in digital, CD, and vinyl formats before Rougeheart moved on to Metropolis Records and issued “Trauma Bondage” in September 2024.

In 2019, Rougeheart opened for Bauhaus in Orlando, which later led to David J bringing her into Shiva Saves. Over time she has also worked with Adrian Sherwood, Chris Connelly, Mark Pistel, Clan of Xymox, Meat Beat Manifesto, Andee Blacksugar, Xiu Xiu, and Mark Stewart.

After the Metropolis signing in 2024, SINE returned with “Succumb To Me” on September 26, 2025 and “Blood + Wine” on February 27, 2026, leading to “Cruel” and now “La Mordre”.

British alternative electronic duo Mesh opened “The Truth Doesn’t Matter” Tour 2026 on April 2 with a sold-out show at Kulttempel in Oberhausen. The run follows the March 27 release of “The Truth Doesn’t Matter” via Dependent Records, with the next stop scheduled for Berlin’s Huxleys on April 3.

The 16-track release includes the singles “Exile“, “Hey Stranger“, and “This World“, plus “Bury Me Again” featuring Mari Kattman.

“The Truth Doesn’t Matter” is available digitally on Bandcamp and in CD, 48-page artbook 2CD, and gatefold 2LP editions. However the gatefold 2LP and deluxe box/artbook configurations are sold out.

Mesh 2026 ‘The Truth Doesn’t Matter’ tour

Mesh will support the album with an extensive European and UK tour in 2026 under the same title. The first leg in April covers Germany and the Czech Republic, with shows in Oberhausen, Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig, Prague, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne and Hannover. The band then move to the UK in May for concerts in Bristol, London and Sheffield, followed by Scandinavian dates in Malmö, Gothenburg and Copenhagen, a summer open-air appearance in Taunton, and an additional date in Liberec in November.

• 03 Apr 2026 – Berlin, Huxleys, Germany
• 04 Apr 2026 – Hamburg, Docks, Germany
• 05 Apr 2026 – Leipzig, Felsenkeller, Germany
• 06 Apr 2026 – Prague, Lucerna Music Bar, Czech Republic
• 08 Apr 2026 – Munich, Backstage, Germany
• 09 Apr 2026 – Frankfurt am Main, Batschkapp, Germany
• 10 Apr 2026 – Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria, Germany
• 11 Apr 2026 – Hanover, Pavillon, Germany
• 01 May 2026 – Bristol, Trinity, UK
• 02 May 2026 – London, 229 Club, UK
• 03 May 2026 – Sheffield, Corporation, UK
• 14 May 2026 – Malmö, Plan B, Sweden
• 15 May 2026 – Gothenburg, Musikens Hus, Sweden
• 16 May 2026 – Copenhagen, Viften, Denmark
• 30 Aug 2026 – Taunton, Electric Summer, UK

About Mesh

Mesh are a British electronic alternative duo from Bristol, England, formed in 1991 by vocalist and guitarist Mark Hockings and keyboardist, guitarist and backing vocalist Richard Silverthorn, with Neil Taylor joining on keyboards in the early years. The creative split developed early: Silverthorn composes most of the music, while Hockings writes the lyrics and handles lead vocals. The trio first signed to Swedish label Memento Materia and issued the EP “Fragile” in 1994, followed by the debut album “In This Place Forever” in 1996 and the compilation “Fragmente” in 1998, which gathered early material.

Their second full-length “The Point at Which It Falls Apart” arrived in 1999 and has recently been revisited as a 25th-anniversary hardcover artbook edition. In 2000, the band worked with German producer Mark ’Oh on the single “Waves”, which entered the German charts, before moving to Sony for “Who Watches Over Me?” in 2002.

A run of albums on Dependent Records followed: “We Collide” in 2006, co-produced with Gareth Jones; “A Perfect Solution” in 2009, later reworked as the 2011 remix album “An Alternative Solution”; “Automation Baby” in 2013; and “Looking Skyward” in 2016.

Mesh have also released live recordings such as “On This Tour Forever”, the orchestral-enhanced “Live at Neues Gewandhaus Leipzig”, and the “Touring Skyward – A Tour Movie” set.

Frontman Mark Hockings would later on launch the Blackcarburning project releasing the debut album “Watching Sleepers“.

Today Mesh operate primarily as the Hockings/Silverthorn duo in the studio while expanding to a four-piece live line-up with drummer Sean Suleman and live keyboardist and backing vocalist Vaughn George for concerts and tours.

The 19th Elektrisch Festival will take place on October 24, 2026 at Club Seilerstraße in Zwickau, Germany. The announced line-up features Portion Control, Escalator, Oszylator, Cyborg Projekt X, and KRIEG-B. Organizers describe it as “another sweaty evening,” and tickets are already on sale via Emmo.biz Records.

The announcement also mentions a new 10-inch vinyl sampler in preparation for the event. That release format has become part of the festival’s recent profile, with earlier Elektrisch editions also tied to limited sampler-style vinyl releases.

About Elektrisch Festival

Elektrisch Festival is an annual event at Club Seilerstraße in Zwickau, Germany, focused on EBM, industrial, and dark electro. Organized by Emmobiz Records, it has built a steady profile through theme-based editions and scene-focused line-ups.

The 16th edition took place on October 19, 2024 as an “Exclusive 90’s Edition.” It featured Calva Y Nada, returning to the stage after a 25-year hiatus, alongside Digital Factor and Accessory, both marking 30 years of activity. Other editions have included acts such as Leaether Strip, Tyske Ludder, and Neotek.

The 17th edition followed on October 25, 2025 with Test Dept, NZ, In Strict Confidence, Supreme Court, and To Avoid. The 18th edition expanded to two days on February 27 and 28, 2026. The Friday program focused on synthpop with Purwien / Kowa and Blind Passenger, while the Saturday bill centered on EBM and electro with Brenal, Tyske Ludder, Prager Handgriff, and The Psychic Force.

The 19th Elektrisch Festival now returns to Club Seilerstraße on October 24, 2026 with a new five-act line-up.

Portland’s (excellent!) dark alternative trio Darkswoon have shared “Antivenom,” the second single and title track from their new album of the same name. “Antivenom” follows the earlier single “Thread.” The 10-song record is out now via Viasonde. The current lineup consists of Jana Cushman, Rachel Ellis, and Norah Lynn.

The album is out as a digital release, a 6-panel digipak CD, and a clear pink-and-white splatter vinyl edition. Both physical formats come in an edition of 250. , and an official video for “Antivenom” is available as well. The band will give an April 4 release show at Mississippi Studios in Portland and an April 18 date at Add-a-ball in Seattle.

The title track is available now as an official video, while the album can be ordered through Bandcamp and Viasonde’s store.

About Darkswoon

Darkswoon began in Portland in 2014 as Jana Cushman’s solo project and later expanded into a trio with Rachel Ellis on synths, keys, and beats and Norah Lynn on bass. The group developed a dark alternative sound rooted in darkwave, post-punk, dream pop, shoegaze, and electronic music, combining layered electronics, atmospheric guitar, drum machines, and Cushman’s vocals.

Thir release run began with “Year One” in 2015 and “Silhouettes” in 2016, before Darkswoon moved into full-length territory with “Bind” in 2019. That release was followed by “Human Faults Remixed” later the same year, then the “Eaten By Wolves” EP and the album “Bloom//Decay” in 2022. In 2025, the band also appeared as remixers on Vague Lanes’ single “Heptahedron.”

“Bind” and “Bloom//Decay” were released via Icy Cold Records, while “Antivenom” was issued by Viasonde in April 2026. Presented as the band’s fourth album, “Antivenom” continues Darkswoon’s hardware-based approach while foregrounding themes of loss, anxiety, fear, and inequality.

Divider release the 12-track album “Zero” today, April 3, via Re:Mission Entertainment. The Riverside- and Los Angeles-based EBM project releases the record as a limited digipak CD of 100 copies, as a digital release on Bandcamp, and as a lathe-cut vinyl edition through ElasticStage. “Zero” features 12 tracks and is the work of Bryon Wilson on programming and synths, Peter Beal on programming and vocals, with mastering by Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg / Wessenberg.

The album follows two Re:Mission releases that led into it. “Artifacts” came out on July 12, 2024, with remixes by Primitive, DvDSX, Hex Wolves, and Snowbeasts. “Reciprocate” followed on March 14, 2025, with remixes by Daniel Myer, Caustic, R010R, and A Void Eye, plus a Bandcamp-only cover of Tears for Fears’ “Shout”.

About Divider

Divider is the long-running project of Bryon Wilson. Wilson started the project in the late 1990s, withe first material being released in 1995. Musically the project brings a mix of EBM, industrial, ambient, rhythmic noise and synthpunk.

By the early 2000s, the project was remixing tracks for XP8, Diverje, and Regenerator. Wilson later released work through Basic Unit Productions, including the 2013 EP “Minimal Distraction” under the stylised name Div|der and the 2017 six-track 12-inch “Europäisch-Amerikanische Freundschaft”, which was mixed and mastered by Sid Lamar. The band also appeared on Basic Unit Productions compilations including “Frost Vol. 2” in 2014 and “Frost Vol. III” in 2018.

In 2023, Wilson opened his archives with the retrospective digital sets “The Early Years: 1995 – 2012 Volume 1”, “Divider: The Early Years Volume 2 – 2000 – 2012”, “The Early Years: Volume 3 – Noises and Experiments”, and “The Early Years: Volume 4 – Strange Melodies and Experiments”. Divider also remixed material on Snog’s 2017 release “Corporate Slave 2525”.

Besides Dibider Wilson also worked on side-projects. Emergency Sequence for instance, was Wilson’s project with John Mirland.

In 2024 Peter Beal joined Divider on vocals and programming for “Artifacts”. That same lineup continues on “Zero”, with Wilson handling synths and programming and Beal handling programming and vocals.

Vikowski began as a solo project founded by Italian artist Vincenzo Coppeta and has since evolved into a trio, releasing its official debut album on Icy Cold Records earlier this year.

The album features eight tracks that are clearly rooted in Dark-Wave. The opening track feels like a warm-up, somewhat reminiscent of The Virgin Prunes. As the album unfolds, we encounter slower compositions in which the guitar establishes a distinct, melancholic atmosphere. It is the guitar that truly carries the spirit of the record.

At times, this melancholy drifts into much darker territories, occasionally echoing the sound of Joy Division.

While I wouldn’t say the entire album fully convinces me, there are nevertheless a few genuine gems to be discovered on “Consistency”. (Rating:7).

Listen to “Dedication”:

https://icycoldrecords.bandcamp.com/track/dedication

Two years ago, Bart Piette (Deadman’s Hill) released the debut album “Devotional Hymns To A Brilliant Flaming Sun” with his side project Brotherhood Of Sleep. Now he returns with a follow-up, created in collaboration with Zazen Sounds. The concept revolves around an Astral Temple that feeds on the immense energy of a Violet Sun, whose rays continuously activate the crystals and skulls within the temple, sustaining them in their highest and most powerful energetic state.

While the concept may initially be somewhat difficult to grasp, the music itself provides clarity. A coherent thread runs through the five tracks, each unfolding in a gradual and immersive progression. The overall atmosphere remains restrained, yet a distinct Ritual aesthetic quickly emerges—dark, at times unsettling, and even ominous. Ritual chants and carefully placed percussion further enhance both the character and the atmosphere. The album draws the listener into an imagined trance, creating the sensation of being part of the ritual taking place within the temple. Bart Piette demonstrates a clear mastery in building this immersive experience—perhaps with the exception of the final track, which, to my ears, feels slightly less compelling than the rest. Nevertheless, he brings all his knowledge and experience to the forefront. The combination of acoustic instruments and electronic elements, supported by essential vocal contributions, makes this album a compelling and rewarding listen.

As an artist, Bart Piette has nothing left to prove; to my ears, he remains a guarantee of high-quality Ritual music made in Belgium. (Rating:8½).

Listen to “Aligning With The Nuummite Cosmos”:

https://zazensoundspublishings.bandcamp.com/track/aligning-with-the-nuummite-cosmos

London electro-industrial act Dogtablet (Martin King of Test Dept and Pigface) will release the digital single “These Days” on April 3, 2026 via the GIVE/TAKE label. But today you can already exclusively check out the four-track release on Side-Line. The single includes the title track, plus remixes of the track by GIVE/TAKE labelmate Cellmod and 2Bit Heroes (Jules Seifert of Der Prosector), plus “Like Tears In Rain” featuring Yvette Winkler in a remix by California’s queer darkscene act Probe 7.

Note that while Dogtablet usually work with guest vocalists, “These Days” now features King on vocals. He also wrote, produced, engineered, and mixed the release completely himself this time.

Dogtablet was created by King after Test Dept ended, initially as a production company. King had been active in London since the mid-1980s, joined Test Dept in 1990, and later toured with Pigface after Test Dept’s Invisible Records period.

The single was recorded at HoundSound in London, and mastered by Jules Seifert at Epic Audio Media.

The full-length “Designed To Fade” will follow on May 1, 2026 on CD and digital via GIVE/TAKE.

About Dogtablet

The project’s first release was “Outlaws & Strays” on July 7, 2017 and “Double Thirty” on November 30, 2018. That was followed by “Feathers & Skin” on December 9, 2019, “Pearldrop Blue” on May 6, 2021, the remix EP “TJY4” on January 14, 2022, and “Ashes” on October 7, 2022. A 2CD edition pairing “Feathers & Skin” and “Pearldrop Blue” was issued by Distortion Productions in 2022.

Dogtablet then released “Black Space Dust & Memories” on May 5, 2023, followed by “The Summertime EP” on November 10, 2023 and “Six Lives” on July 12, 2024. In October 2024, the band issued “Seven Streets Down,” which was presented there as the first single from “Designed To Fade.” Yvette Winkler, who appears on the new single, is also one half of the Dutch act Vaselyne.

Martin King and Roberto Soave form the core of Dogtablet, with Jared Louche being a recurring Dogtablet collaborator. For the new 2026 single “These Days”, Martin King was writer, performer, producer, engineer, and mixer.

Spanish futurepop/electropop act Culture Kultür have returned with the single “Atomic Radio“, ahead of the studio album “Atomic”, which is scheduled for June 6 via Caustic Records. The upcoming record is the project’s first full studio album since “Humanity” released in 2019, following the 2025 vinyl compilation “Time”.

Caustic Records will present the launch concert for Culture Kultür’s new album “Atomic” on June 6, the same day as the album’s official release. During the event, attendees will be able to buy the new album in advance at the label’s stand. Physical tickets for this event will be available soon at RARA AVIS, while online tickets are already available via Entradium.com.

The show will also mark the exclusive Spanish live premiere of “Atomic”, giving the audience the first chance to hear the new material on stage alongside songs from the band’s back catalog.

Caustic Records will release more details on edition formats, exclusive content, and preorder dates in the coming days.

About Culture Kultür

Culture Kultür was formed in Málaga, Spain, in 1992 with Salva Maine on vocals, Josua on programming and production, and Distortiongirl as live keyboardist.

Before the Out Of Line years, the project released the “F.T.W.” EP in 1993, “Spike” and “Rev.-Time” in 1996, “Default” in 1997, and the album “Bump!” in 1998.

1999 marked a turning point as Salva Maine joined as permanent vocalist, and the band issued “Manifesto”, “Reflex”, and “DNA Slaves”. The same year also brought the “Tierra Eléctrica” European tour with Hocico and KIFOTH, later documented on the limited live CD “Tierra Electrica ’99′”.

Other releases that followed include “Revenge” in 2001, “Combat!” in 2002, “Reborn” in 2005, “Spirit” in 2010, and “Humanity” in 2019. In 2025, the trio returned with the limited vinyl compilation “Time” which collected material from their early days in the ’90s up to their most recent work. And now the project is set to follow that release with the new studio album “Atomic” in June 2026.

A newly catalogued file series from the Margrave Institute Archive for Transitional Europe in Westbrück has revived one of underground music’s strangest Cold War theories: that early EBM was part of a covert Western influence program designed to change East German youth culture from within and let them understand the dangers of their political leaders and their ideology. The Stasi reacted by forming its own communist inspired band: Or Two. But that was not really a success as we will show you.

The papers describe a strategy in which music was treated as a behavioural delivery system. The target, according to the files, was a narrow layer of technically minded, style-conscious young people in East-German cities such as Osthafen, Märkstadt, Lindenau-Ost, and Grauenfels. The core assumption behind the program was that direct political messaging triggered resistance. Overt propaganda was easy to identify. But EBM music worked quite differently. They passed through the body first. Meaning followed later.

The program itself appears under several codenames, the most frequently cited being Operation Eisen Echo, Project Nulltakt, and the later Body Vector initiative. Across the documents, analysts claim the genre’s usefulness lay in four overlapping traits: command-based language, repetitive rhythmic structure, uniform visual presentation, and synchronized group movement in controlled social environments. The files describe clubs as “low-visibility response chambers.”

One of the more provocative notes suggests that Western services were a lot less interested in lyrics than in physical response. The body, in this model, became the first site of influence. A listener did not need to understand a message fully. Core was that the message became a habit.

The ploy was a success, by 1989 EBM had became huge in communist Germany and was instrumental in tearing down the Berlin Wall.

The East German countermeasure: Gegenklang

In the same archive, a later section says the East German security apparatus attempted to counter the spread of EBM with its own cultural softening program. The project ran under the internal name Gegenklang, with a sub-unit informally referred to as Lotus Sector. The strategy was to bring a homegrown version of EBM.

State cultural planners commissioned a series of ossi EBM cassette releases, distributed through youth wellness circles, experimental theatre workshops, student meditation groups, and selected “recovery evenings” at cultural houses in Eisenwald, Rosenhagen, and Veltenbruck.

The quality of the EBM presented on the tapes was so bad, nobody took it seriously. Things had to be handled differently so they came up with another idea… Or Two.

Or Two: the communist EBM band the Stasi built

The most ambitious countermeasure described in the files was the creation of a band. In 1984, according to the dossier, the Stasi-backed cultural unit behind Gegenklang approved the launch of a synthetic pop-leaning project called Or Two.

Officially, Or Two was presented as a regular EBM pop trio from Lindenau-Ost. Unofficially, the group’s real purpose was more strategic. The plan was to create an act that could absorb the appeal of EBM while stripping out its aggression and spreading the message of communism.

Or Two was assembled by handlers from the Department for Youth Atmospherics, who recruited a conservatory-trained keyboard player, a former radio choir vocalist, and – surprise, surprise – a political commissar.

Their debut single, “Atmen Im Kreis”, was circulated in late 1984 through student radio, state-approved youth clubs, and subsidized cultural festivals. It was followed by “Stiller Sender” in 1985 and the self-titled album “Or Two” in 1986.

However, the lyrics about how good communism was did not catch on, Several memos in the dossier complain that while they created a perfect copycat, the project had “only achieved visibility but failed in directional containment.” The band would only sell a few hundred copies of their debut album, mostly via obligatory state channels.

By the late 1980s, Or Two disappeared. Rumour has it they later on started up a more Western pop act.

Syrian-Armenian-American singer and producer KÁRYYN has released “END TO KNOWING YOU” as the next preview from “PHYSICS UNIVERSAL LOVE LANGUAGE (PULL)“, the 10-track album which follows on May 29 via Mute on limited white vinyl, CD and digital.

“END TO KNOWING YOU” is a song about attachment, distance and unresolved connection. The video was conceived by KÁRYYN and directed by Jenna Marsh, produced by Black Dog Films, with choreography by Supple Nam and a featured performance by Danni Spooner.

About the KÁRYYN album ‘PHYSICS UNIVERSAL LOVE LANGUAGE (PULL)’

KÁRYYN describes the upcoming album as “not as inquiry but as conclusion rendered in sound” and adds that it “is about the forces that hold us, rearrange us, and pull us back together. It’s a framework for understanding my relationship with Self. This record is the sound of my human revolution.”

The album was produced by KÁRYYN and James Ford, with co-production by Hudson Mohawke, and additional production by Jacques Greene, Steve Nalepa, Luca Perry and Duncan Fuller. Strings were played by Raven Bush, the qanun by Maya Youssef. Finally, the mixing was in the hand of Marta Salogni while the mastering was completed by Joker.

The album can already be pre-ordered through Bandcamp and via Mute’s store. Apple Music and Spotify also carry pre-release pages for the record.

About KÁRYYN

KÁRYYN is a Syrian-Armenian-American singer, producer and composer based in Los Angeles whose work blends experimental electronic music, voice-driven song structures and sound art.

Her debut album “The Quanta Series” was released in March 2019 after a seven-year writing and recording period. The record, issued via her Antevasin imprint in partnership with Mute, traces a personal journey that began in 2011 after the death of two relatives in Aleppo, when she left Los Angeles for Cherry Valley in upstate New York to work in seclusion. During eighteen months there she wrote early material that would become part of the album.

“The Quanta Series” appeared on compact disc and double vinyl via Mute and collected earlier singles and digital tracks including “Aleppo”, “Today, I Read Your Life Story 11:11”, “Ever” and “Mirror Me”. In 2021, she also appeared on Daniel Avery’s “Fountain of Peace” and on Âme’s “The Witness”.

A steady stream of subsequent releases followed, including the 2024 EP “Calm Kaoss!”, the single “Ground” and the compilation “K Á R Y Y N Remixed”, which gathered reworks of pieces from her catalogue.

KÁRYYN’s collaboration history also includes work with James Ford, whose production role continues on “Physics Universal Love Language (PULL)”. We previously covered her activity in the news item KÁRYYN shares Cosey Fanni Tutti remix of ‘the REAL’, which documented the Cosey Fanni Tutti version of her single “the REAL”.

“PHYSICS UNIVERSAL LOVE LANGUAGE (PULL)” now follows as her next album-length release on Mute.

Polish artist Tomasz Łukowicz has released a dozen albums over the course of more than five years under his sonic alter ego, Fractal. His latest production, Hide In The Light, features ten new tracks.

Fractal is not only an extremely prolific artist, but also remarkably creative and talented. His music consistently stays rooted in intelligent and sometimes complex EBM, while also incorporating influences reminiscent of Clock DVA and similar acts. The songs are well-crafted and, despite their rich and expansive soundscapes, remain quite accessible. The album includes a few instrumental passages, but the vocals certainly add an extra dimension to the overall experience. While it may not contain obvious dancefloor hits, it offers a strong collection of refined and sophisticated tracks.

Where Fractal draws his creativity from remains a mystery to me, but one thing is certain: this project has never disappointed and continues to surprise me time and again. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Final Time”:

https://aliensproduction.bandcamp.com/track/final-time

German electro-industrial project Wumpscut and Betonkopf Media, in collaboration with Italian distributor Audioglobe, will issue two limited vinyl editions on 3 April 2026: a light blue LP reissue of the 2005 studio album “Evoke – Provoke” and the new remix double album “Homicide Bajazzo.” Both Wumpscut titles are pressed on 180-gram vinyl in editions of 300 copies.

Wumpscut – ‘Evoke – Provoke’ light blue LP

“Evoke – Provoke” is presented as a single 180-gram light blue LP in a deluxe gatefold sleeve, with a white poly-lined inner sleeve and an A1-sized “Evoke” poster. The edition uses direct metal mastering and comes with a stickered outer sleeve and cello-lined innerbag.

The release marks the first vinyl reissue of Wumpscut’s seventh regular studio album in twenty years. “Evoke” originally appeared on 4 April 2005 via Beton Kopf Media in multiple formats, including CD, 2CD, box set and a white double vinyl edition that bundled extra material and merchandise.

The 2026 LP focuses on the core eleven album tracks including tracks such as “Churist Churist”, “Rush” and “Don’t go,” the latter previously appearing with additional remixes on the US-only EP “Blondi.”

Wumpscut – ‘Homicide Bajazzo’ remix 2LP

“Homicide Bajazzo” arrives as a 2×180-gram black vinyl set, again with direct metal mastering, a 5 mm spine outer sleeve and two separate cello-lined inner sleeves. The edition is also limited to 300 copies worldwide.

The compilation gathers twenty remixes of Wumpscut tracks recorded between 1997 and 2025, drawing on material from albums such as “Böses Junges Fleisch” (also known as “Eevil Young Flesh”) through to the 2025 album “Chew Chew Chew.”

Remix duties are handled by Advent Resilience, Splitter, The Necessary Evil, Cynical Front, Reaktor, Oordrop and others, with several cuts presented in multiple reworked versions.

Tracklist – “Homicide Bajazzo” (2LP)

Side A

• A1 Loyal To My Hate (original mix)
• A2 Du Neger (Advent Resilience remix)
• A3 Silent Running (The Necessary Evil remix)
• A4 Burial On Demand (Splitter remix)
• A5 Measure Of Hope (Cynical Front Floorshow remix)

Side B

• B1 The Show Will Go On (original mix)
• B2 Du Hast Kein Herz (Splitter remix)
• B3 Ich Will Dich (Advent Resilience remix)
• B4 Churist Churist (Recently Deceased remix)
• B5 We Are Immortal (Splitter remix)

Side C

• C1 Das Deutsche Schwert (Advent Resilience remix)
• C2 Du Hast Kein Herz (Splitter remix)
• C3 Tanz Den Tod (Reaktor Totentanz remix)
• C4 Giftkeks (Advent Resilience Mortified remix)
• C5 Tanz Den Tod (Advent Resilience remixu)

Side D

• D1 Killuh (Oordrop remix)
• D2 Killing A Spider (The Necessary Evil MDMA remix)
• D3 Killuh (Advent Resilience remix)
• D4 The Demon Uterus (The Necessary Evil remix)
• D5 Unser Kleiner Weltkrieg (The Necessary Evil remix)

The tracklist highlights the way recent EP material (“Giftkeks”/”Poison Cookie”, “For Those About To Starve”) and album cuts from “Chew Chew Chew” have been re-worked for the dancefloor, aligning with Wumpscut’s long-running DJ-oriented remix practice that dates back to the 1990s.

About Wumpscut

Wumpscut is a German electro-industrial project founded in May 1991 by Bavarian DJ Rudolf “Rudy” Ratzinger, originally based around club work in southern Germany and later associated with Munich and the wider Bavarian scene.

Ratzinger’s early demo “Defcon” (1991) led into the first full-length “Music for a Slaughtering Tribe” in 1993, followed by “Bunkertor 7” in 1995 and “Embryodead” in 1997.

From the mid-1990s onward, he released much of his work through his own label Beton Kopf Media, while Metropolis Records handled several key titles for the US market. Albums such as “Boeses Junges Fleisch” (1999), “Wreath of Barbs” (2001), “Bone Peeler” (2004) and “Evoke” (2005) continued this pattern of parallel European and US editions in CD and vinyl formats.

Later releases extended the catalogue through “Cannibal Anthem” (2006), “Body Census” (2007), “Schädling” (2008), “Fuckit” (2009), “Siamese” (2010), “Schrekk & Grauss” (2011), “Women and Satan First” (2012) and “Madman Szpital” (2013), many of them accompanied by limited box sets and DJ-oriented companion discs.

After the 2014–2015 albums “Bulwark Bazooka” and “BlutSpukerTavern” and the 2016 studio album “Wüterich,” Ratzinger briefly announced an end to new production. But he returned with “Fledermavs 303” in 2021 and a run of EPs and albums including “For Those About To Starve” (2022), “Giftkeks”/”Poison Cookie” (2023), “Schlossgheist” (2024) and “Chew Chew Chew” (2025), many of which were made available via Bandcamp alongside limited physical editions.

The Los Angeles project Holy Sun Opera House has released “Latched On,” the second single from their self-titled debut album which is due on May 15, 2026 via Hologram Opera. The album will be available in vinyl, cassette, CD, and digital formats.

About the track, the band says this: “The song is a depiction of the compulsive psyche as a physical entity residing in The Holy Sun Opera House. The entity is a permanent fixture there, and is relentless. It is endlessly present, awake, and draining. It feeds off the anxiety and grows stronger with each thought. It is truly latched on.”

The album was self-produced and is built around recurring dreams of singer Krissy Barker. The band combines electro, darkwave, and contemporary classical elements. For this track the album is more focused on the classical side of the band.

About Holy Sun Opera House

Holy Sun Opera House is a Los Angeles project built around classically trained soprano and drummer Krissy Barker and composer/music director dl Salo. Barker played with Object as Subject (bass, synth, and vocals), while Salo worked with Saint Genet, Earth and Ceremony, Cowboy Cinema, and A Story of Rats. The latter was a duo with Garek J Druss.

The project’s first recorded release was the two-track “Attic EP,” a two-track single issued on December 9, 2023 through Bandcamp. They also set up the Los Angeles-based Hologram Opera label which is run by former Stereolab keyboardist Morgane Lhote, Krissy Barker and dl Salo. Besides this project, the label releases material from Garek J Druss, Yoann Pisterman, and Hologram Teen.

In March 2026, the group began the rollout for the debut album with “Voice of Gob.”

While the project remains a duo in its core they have been working with a revolving cast of collaborators, singers, and performers. Their debut self-titled album follows on May 15, 2026 via Hologram Opera.

(Interview by Karo Kratochwil) Recently, I was given the chance to listen to “4S (Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome)”, the new TC75 album due out on 15 May, and it felt like the perfect occasion to ask Tino Claus, the mind behind the project, a few questions. What struck me first was how fresh and uncompromising this record sounds: harsher, rougher, and more abrasive than anything I had previously heard from him, yet still held together by a strong inner discipline. That very tension, between pressure and precision, noise and control, became one of the central themes of our conversation. We spoke about the paradox built into the album’s title, the unusually difficult process of finishing the record, the refusal to repeat old patterns, the role of contrast in both sound and artwork, and the broader artistic space Tino moves through between TC75, collaboration, and Amnistia. “4S” feels like an album that pushes his language into a more severe and exposed territory, and that is precisely what makes it so compelling.

TC75 interview

Karo: “4S (Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome)” is a telling title because it creates an immediate contradiction: an album built from force, pressure, and noise is named after a condition defined by hypersensitivity to sound. Was that contrast mainly an intellectual gesture for you, or did it also express something deeper about how overwhelming the contemporary world has become, even for people who are not clinically affected by misophonia?

TC75: The Plan was to name the album “Misophonia” with no deeper meaning or the plan to create a kind of concept-album. Finally I decided to change the name into that little letter monster. I thought it is a good idea to name my album after that condition even I know that my music causes such itches for some people.

Karo: You have said that this album was unusually difficult to finish, and that at one point you had only four songs and doubted the record would ever come together. Looking back now, was the resistance mainly musical, or was it also about finding the right emotional and conceptual language for where you were at that point in life?

TC75: It was just about the music. I did not find the right sounds or hooks to build songs on / out of it. Emotions mostly come on the table when we are talking about the lyrics.

Karo: What makes “4S” especially compelling is that it seems to treat hypersensitivity as more than a medical condition. The album often feels like a portrait of overload itself: too much noise, too much pressure, too much input, too little silence. At what point did the record begin to grow beyond its initial concept and become a wider reflection on the violence of constant stimulation?

TC75: I am not afflicted by misophonia but I know people who are. And believe me this is no fun. Some people are lucky when they know what the reason for their suffering is. I mean misophonia hasn’t even been properly researched yet, and not all medical professionals recognise it as a condition or even a symptom. Yet A LOT of people have health issues because of noise. Everyone is familiar with the sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard, a dripping tap, smacking lips while eating, or snoring. Imagine being hypersensitive to such noises and having nowhere to escape to… A nightmare scenario!

Karo: Compared to earlier TC75 material, this record feels harsher in structure, more stripped down, more abrasive, and at times almost closer to noise in its musical effect, even when the arrangements remain tightly controlled. Was that sonic severity a conscious production decision from the beginning, or did the material itself demand a rougher architecture as it developed?

TC75: I mean deep in my heart I am a Pop-Guy. It means normally I like songs with a clear structure and I don’t need any fancy stuff like the third or fourth bridge, a 5^th break and constantly changing rhythms or something similar. And I am not a musician. That’s why the structures are more or less simple. On the other hand I like noise in music and there are a lot of artists I adore for there works with and in noise. You are right the approach was to change my music a bit because I don’t want to – and can’t – keep drilling the same board over and over again. Your question makes me think I’ve managed to do that.

Karo: You have spoken very openly about not wanting to repeat yourself, not wanting to overthink the music, and not being interested in fulfilling expectations. At this stage, what does artistic progress actually mean to you? Is it about changing your sound, changing your process, or simply refusing to become predictable, even to yourself?

TC75: That is the question! It is the tragedy of artists that they cannot influence how the audience decides – have they found their style, or are they just repeating the same thing over and over? 

For me, it’s important that I can recognise an artist’s music by their style. That could be the music itself, the choice of sounds, and of course the voice. However, I’m not keen on knowing the song before I’ve heard it. Every new release should have some fresh element to it, without the style changing too drastically. Believe me – that’s not easy when you’ve released more than two albums.

Karo: One of the most striking aspects of “4S” is the tension between discipline and intensity. The tracks feel highly constructed, yet never sterile; emotionally charged, yet never chaotic. When you are building a TC75 track, how do you negotiate that balance between control and release in practical production terms?

TC75: My songs are driven by an initial sound. When I have a sound, a rhythm a “something”  instantly the lyrics come to my mind and the process of “composing” is done. I never use the word compose for my works I prefer the term “string sounds together” because this is what I actually do.

Karo: There is also a very deliberate sense of contrast around the album as a whole, not just in the title, but in the decision to avoid scene-typical artwork and to use pink and white rather than expected visual codes. How important is contradiction for you as an artistic method? Do you consciously work against expectation in both sound and image?

TC75: The artwork is still very important for listeners and byers of music. That’s why I try to create something that the people keep in mind. And if, in the end, I’m the crazy guy with the pink industrial pop record then it’s worked.But seriously – the same goes for the artwork… should I cut a piece out or not?

Karo: Songs such as “The Core” “In Parallel” or “Empty Eyes” suggest not just personal unease, but a much broader discomfort with the way people move through society now: overstimulated, performative, disconnected, permanently exposed. Do you see “4S” as your most explicitly social album so far, even if it never becomes didactic?

TC75: I wouldn’t say that. When we are talking about my lyrics – I write them when I have an itch, when something pisses me off. Good for me there is A LOT going on in the world which “inspires” me to write. 

Karo: Your work exists in several different constellations: TC75 as a solo project, collaborations, remixes, guest appearances, and of course Amnistia. When you move between those formats, what remains irreducibly “TC75” for you, the element that survives every different context and still makes the result unmistakably yours?

TC75: I would describe it like this… I feel it when a track is a TC75 song. On the other hand a rarely write songs for Amnistia that’s why I rarely have to decide…

Karo: Because you are also one half of Amnistia, I’m curious whether moving between the duo format and your solo work sharpens different parts of your artistic identity. Does Amnistia feed TC75 in hidden ways, and are there any new Amnistia plans or other collaborations currently taking shape that you can already hint at?

TC75: It is necessary that the solo work have to be different to the work with the main band/project. Otherwise it makes no sense. Thank God I work with very talented people in all my bands, as I don’t make the music there – because my friends do a brilliant job.

Karo: After “4S”, what do you feel has shifted most for you as an artist – not in terms of sound, but in terms of how you understand what you are doing and why you are still doing it?

TC75: To be honest… I still don’t know what I am doing exactly. I try to do my best when I work on music and artwork. It has to please me. I do what I want, I don’t want to think about my music to much because otherwise it would lose its spontaneity.

The Laibach “Musick” video is out now. “Musick” is the title track from the band’s upcoming album “Musick”, which is scheduled for release on May 1, 2026 via Mute on vinyl, CD, and digital formats.

The title track was co-produced by Richard X and features guest vocals by Wiyaala. The song addresses oversaturation and compulsive listening in a period where music is constantly uploaded, copied, and processed through algorithmic systems. Director Morten Traavik says: “In line with Laibach´s general artistic and philosophical values, we´re aiming for the perfect union of George Orwell and Lady Gaga.”

“Musick” is the first Laibach studio album of original material since “Spectre” was released in 2014. The record includes ten tracks: “Musick”, “Fluid Emancipation”, “Singularity”, “Resistencia”, “Love Machine”, “Luigi Mangione”, “Keep It Reel”, “Yes Maybe No”, “Allgorhythm”, and “Das göttliche Kind”.

Laibach ‘Musick’ 2026 tour dates

• 18 May – Graz (AT), Orpheum
• 19 May – Schorndorf (DE), Manufaktur
• 20 May – Cologne (DE), Essigfabrik
• 22 May – Aarhus (DK), VoxHall
• 23 May – Gothenburg (SE), Filmstudion
• 24 May – Stockholm (SE), Nya Circus
• 26 May – Helsinki (FI), Savoy Theatre
• 27 May – Tallinn (EE), Kultuurikeskus
• 28 May – Riga (LV), Spelet Concert Hall
• 29 May – Vilnius (LT), Loftas
• 30 May – Warsaw (PL), Progresja
• 31 May – Prague (CZ), Palac Akropolis
• 2 June – Leipzig (DE), Täubchenthal
• 3 June – Munich (DE), Muffathalle
• 4 June – Klagenfurt (AT), Burghof
• 27 June – Maribor (SI), Festival Lent
• 2 July – Vinkuran/Medulin Riviera (HR), Cave Romane
• 24 July – Castle (SI), Kolpa Music Festival
• 25 Sep – Ljubljana (SI), Kino Šiška
• 26 Sep – Ljubljana (SI), Kino Šiška
• 29 Sep – London (UK), Islington Assembly Hall
• 30 Sep – Manchester (UK), Ritz
• 1 Oct – Southampton (UK), 1865
• 2 Oct – Canterbury (UK), The Gulbenkian
• 4 Oct – Gent (BE), Democrazy
• 6 Oct – Bochum (DE), Zeche
• 7 Oct – Nijmegen (NL), Doornroosje
• 8 Oct – Hamburg (DE), Große Freiheit 36
• 9 Oct – Oslo (NO), Rockefeller Music Hall
• 11 Oct – Copenhagen (DK), Bremen Teater
• 13 Oct – Berlin (DE), Huxleys Neue Welt
• 14 Oct – Dresden (DE), Reithalle
• 15 Oct – Brno (CZ), Fleda
• 16 Oct – Zagreb (HR), Boogaloo

About Laibach

Laibach is a Slovenian music and cross-media group founded on June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje. The name is the historic German name for Ljubljana. From the start, the group worked across music, performance, video, graphics, installation, and manifesto, and in 1984 it co-founded the wider NSK (Neue Slowenische Kunst) collective.

Musically the band brings a mix of industrial, avant-garde, martial, neoclassical dark wave, and electronic music.

Their first album appeared in April 1985 under a sleeve without the band name because use of the name Laibach had been banned in Yugoslavia. Mute later signed the group and released “Opus Dei” in 1987. That was followed by “Kapital” in 1992, “NATO” in 1994, and “Jesus Christ Superstars” in 1997.

Laibach returned with “WAT” in 2003 and “Volk” on Mute in 2006. Later releases included “Also Sprach Zarathustra” in 2017, “The Sound of Music” in 2018, and the “Party Songs” EP in 2019, the latter tied to material from the North Korea project documented in “Liberation Day”.

More recent releases include “Wir sind das Volk” in 2022, “Sketches of the Red Districts” and the “Love Is Still Alive” EP in 2023, “Opus Dei (2024 Remaster)” and “Opus Dei Revisited” in 2024, plus “I Want To Know What Love Is”, “Alamut”, and the “Laibach 40” box in 2025.

A first teaser of the new “Musick” album was the pop single “Allgorhythm,” featuring Ghanaian singer Wiyaala on vocals.

Finnish-German futurepop duo PLATRONiC just released the digital single “Fortress of Fools“. The one-track release draws on influences from Anne Clark, Propaganda, VNV Nation, and Erasure. Kay wrote the text after struggling with what the band describes as the daily madness of the world, using a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale as a starting point before Sami brought in a more danceable instrumental direction.

The single is available via Bandcamp and on the streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and YouTube.

About PLATRONiC

PLATRONiC is a Finnish-German futurepop/synthpop duo founded in 2020 by Finnish composer/producer Some-E (Savonlinna, Finland) and German singer-songwriter/co-producer Kay Burden (Frankfurt am Main, Germany). The duo connected via Instagram discussions in 2019 and formed on EBM Day, February 24, 2020.

Their early catalogue starts with “Dreams” (2020), followed by “Control” (2021) and “Maybe Someday?” (2021), plus “Maybe Someday? (Syntha Clause Remix)” (December 12, 2021). They continued with “Dreams (Nature of Wires remix)” (2022) and the single “Now!” (May 22, 2022).

In 2023, the duo issued the EP “The Healing” (January 6, 2023), a release tied to lockdown-era constraints and later events.

Later in 2023, the duo released a Depeche Mode cover single, “The Things You Said“. They followed with the single “Memories” (September 29, 2023) equally released via Town and Towers Records. On year later, they released “Calling (Mitten in der Nacht)” (February 24, 2024) and “Pride 2024” (June 7, 2024). They closed 2024 with “Winter Stores”. a track based on a poem by Charlotte Brontë.

In 2025, PLATRONiC announced “How To Ride The Wave?” and later on contributed to a Depeche Mode tribute compilation.

(By our correspondent Janos Janurik) On 24 April, Mortality Tables, the record label specialising in fine electronic music, is set to delight Alka fans with a fantastic collection of remixes.

“Gravity” is a collection of remixes derived from the tracks of “The Magnitude Weighs Heavy”, the 2025 album by the Philadelphia-based producer Alka.

This compilation unveils fresh dimensions and routes within the original pieces and includes remixes from Alka’s collaborators Vince Clarke, Scanner, Veryan, Pascal Gabriel (Stubbleman), Gareth Jones and Simon Fisher Turner, among others.

Additionally, Gravity includes remixes of ‘Scrapple’ from his 2020 album for Vince Clarke’s VeryRecords, titled “Regarding the Auguries”. The collection is rounded out by a 2018 live rendition of “Over the Hills and Vales” plus “We Are Free Forms” and a remix of “Truncate”, both of which were first featured on the VeryRecords album “The Colour of Terrible Crystal” (2017).

Gravity will be available on 24 April in a limited-edition CD with 13 tracks and an unlimited, expanded digital version that includes an extra remix from Scanner, the complete Simon Fisher Turner remix of “Antiquity Broke”, and a rare track titled “Multiple”.

Alka ‘Gravity’ Tracklist

1. Twilight (Perdurabo Remix)
2. Unravel (Starkey & Alka Remix)
3. Enchanté (Stubbleman Remix)
4. Truncate (Alka Tokyo Remix)
5. Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka (Gareth Jones Remix)
6. Soliloquy (Vince Clarke Remix)
7. Folding Skies (Textbeak Folded Grind Remix)
8. Unravel (Scanner Remix)
9. Antiquity Broke (Simon Fisher Turner Antique Fire Remix Edit)
10. Scrapple (Alka Myanmar Remix)
11. What Becomes (Mick Chillage Remix)
12. Enchanté (Veryan Remix)
13. Over Hills and Vales + We Are Free Forms (Live)
14. Soliloquy (Scanner Remix) – Digital Edition Only
15. Multiple – Digital Edition Only
16. Antiquity Broke (Simon Fisher Turner Antique Fire Remix) – Digital Edition Only

The album, which will be available on CD and as a digital download, can be ordered from the Mortality Tables website from 24 April onwards.

About Alka

Philadelphia-based electronic producer Alka is the project of Bryan Michael. He started the project in 2000 as an outlet for his own electronic compositions after earlier work in bands around Philadelphia. What began as a solo project later developed into a broader unit with Todd Steponick and visual artist-vocalist Erika Tele, who became part of the project’s live and studio activity.

Alka’s career started with a release on Roger O’Donnell’s 99X/10 Records in 2005, followed by the EP “A Theory of Naught” in 2006. The next full-length releases were “Principles of Suffocation” in 2007, “A Dog Lost in the Woods” in 2009, and “Compounded” in 2011.

Vince Clarke’s VeryRecords later issued “The Colour of Terrible Crystal” on October 13, 2017, and “Regarding The Auguries” on October 9, 2020. Alka’s latest full-length is “The Magnitude Weighs Heavy”, released on September 25, 2025 through Mortality Tables in digital and limited CD formats.

Belgian electro-wave project Neon Electronics have put the new 12-inch EP “Liberation” on preorder via Oráculo Records. The release comes as a black 180-gram vinyl limited to 300 copies with shipping around May 27-30. The EP includes remixes by Ancient Methods and Patrick Codenys of Front 242.

Oráculo Records describes the EP as “the final chapter in the journey of Dirk Da Davo.” The material was recorded by Dirk Da Davo, while Glenn Keteleer and Pieter-Jan Theunis. Keteleer handled production and mixing on the non-remix material, Daniel Hallhuber mastered the release for vinyl at Young and Cold Studios.

The tracklist runs as follows: “Liberation”, “Justification Unknown (Original Mix)”, “Justification Unknown (Ancient Methods Remix)”, “Nothing For Nothing (Original Mix)”, “Nothing For Nothing (Patrick Codenys -Front 242- N4N Convict Remix)”, “One Word, One Crime”, and “Disappear”. The digital edition adds “Walking Around” as a bonus track.

About Neon Electronics

Neon Electronics is the project of Dirk Da Davo, known from The Neon Judgement. The electronic dance project mixes electro-wave, EBM, post-punk and related electronic music.

The project’s first release was the self-titled album “Neon Electronics” in 1999 and “U B There”. Next were the albums “Swingers Delight”, followed by “Monkey Ever After” in 2007. The 2013 compilation “99TO12COMP” pulled material from the 1999 debut CD up until 2012’s “Keylogger” CD.

“System Rivièra” followed in 2003 on CD and in 2009 as a digital edition, alongside “Better Way” with The Hacker. Later came “Keylogger”, the “Toyboy” EP in 2013, and the album “ne” in 2015.

While Neon Electronics began as a solo project, Glenn Keteleer had already been involved for years, and Pieter-Jan Theunis joined around 2014/15. By the time of “Apollo”, the core lineup consisted of Dirk Da Davo, Glenn Keteleer and Pieter-Jan Theunis.

Oráculo had already worked with the project on the “Mondriaan” vinyl in late 2018, ahead of “Apollo” in April 2019. The project issued a new version of “Factory Walk” in December 2024, followed by “Nothing For Nothing” in July 2025 and “Justification Unknown” in February 2026. “Liberation” now pulls that recent run together on vinyl.

Swedish-Norwegian electronic artist Karin Park has released “Sing Your Sorrow“, the first single from her upcoming EP “EVO”, due on May 8, 2026 via Size Records. The single is out together with an official video directed by Simon Silverdahl.

Park says: “Sing Your Sorrow is about wanting to take someone else’s sorrows upon oneself to relieve them from suffering. I wrote this for my daughter Lydia.”

The upcoming four-track EP “EVO” will consist of “Try”, “Explodera”, “Shadow” and “Sing Your Sorrow”. The release was recorded with Anthony Belguise and is the first part of a trilogy inspired by Hilma af Klint.

About the videoclip director Simon Silverdahl says: “There’s a rare magic in working with a true artist where the ideas just flow. We took our local roots and turned them into a romanticized piece. It was effortless, inspiring, and pure joy.”

About Karin Park

Karin Maria Erika Park was born in Djura, Sweden, and began her recording career in Bergen, Norway. She debuted with “Superworldunknown” in 2003, followed by “Change Your Mind” in 2006 and “Ashes To Gold” in 2009. Her career then continued with “Highwire Poetry” in 2012 and “Apocalypse Pop” in 2015, marking the shift into the synth-driven and darker electronic work.

Later releases included the “Blue Roses” EP in 2018, “Church Of Imagination” in 2020, the collaborative album “Alter” with Lustmord in 2021, and “Private Collection” in 2022.

Outside her solo material, she co-wrote Margaret Berger’s Eurovision entry “I Feed You My Love” and has also been active with Årabrot, which she fronts alongside her husband.

A week ago, we already posted an interview with Karin Park.

Martina Betti released her fourth album, “We Are All Strangers”, late last year. Across the seven tracks, the Italian artist explores the fragile boundaries of identity, perception, and human connection.

Those familiar with her musical universe will immediately recognize the sometimes fine line between Cinematic and Dark-Ambient. What truly defines her sound, however, is the dreamy—at times even soothing—quality of her music. This is precisely what makes it so fascinating: her sonic world is tinged with darkness and can occasionally feel unsettling. The low frequencies and string textures she employs create a distinctive, mysterious atmosphere in which the listener becomes fully immersed. Some arrangements are subtle and restrained, while others unfold with an almost overwhelming intensity. The closing track, in particular, stands out as a powerful climax, driven by a pulse that resembles a heartbeat functioning as a background rhythm, adding an extra layer of intrigue.

Shedir remains true to her artistic vision and continues to be a compelling presence within the expansive realm of dark Cinematic music. (Rating:7½).

Listen to “Endlessfall”:

https://n5md.bandcamp.com/track/endlessfall

Norwegian electronic artist Mortiis will release the new studio album “Ghosts of Europa” on June 26, 2026 via Prophecy Productions. The record is confirmed in no less than seven (!) core formats: black LP, crystal clear LP, smoke marble LP, digipak CD, cassette, 2CD artbook edition, and box set. The title track is already out with an official video which you can view below.

The standard vinyl editions come in a heavy gatefold sleeve with a 12-page booklet, polylined inner sleeve, and outer protection sleeve. The cassette is listed as a black marbled edition in a clear case with a 6-page inlay, limited to 200 copies. The 2CD artbook edition is described as a 60-page hardcover book, while the box adds an exclusive LP, bonus LP, cassette, four 30 x 30 cm art prints, and a poster.

“Ghosts of Europa” is an electronic rock album mixing electronic and industrial rock, with Sean Beavan handling the mix.

Pre-orders are available now through the Mortiis webstore, Prophecy’s SPKR store, and Mortiis’ Bandcamp page.

About Mortiis

Mortiis began as the solo project of Håvard Ellefsen from Notodden, Norway, after his stint as bassist in Emperor from 1991 to 1992. The current lineup consists of Håvard Ellefsen, Levi Gawron, and Tim Van Horn. While the project started with dark ambient and dungeon synth it later on moved into dark wave and industrial rock territory.

The early Mortiis catalog runs through “Født til å Herske” (1993), “Ånden som Gjorde Opprør” (1994), “Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent” (1995), “Blood and Thunder” (1995), “Crypt of the Wizard” (1996), and “The Stargate” (1999). In 2001, “The Smell of Rain” marked a shift toward dark wave and even some electropop. What followed were the albums “The Grudge” (2004), “Some Kind of Heroin” (2007), and the independently released “Perfectly Defect” (2010). Later albums included “The Great Deceiver” (2016), “The Unraveling Mind” (2017), and “Spirit of Rebellion” (2020).

Belgian ritual-industrial project Hybryds is trying to reconstruct the Belgian industrial archive on YouTube after the platform took it down. The band’s YouTube channel once held rare footage from Belgium’s industrial scene in the 1980s and 1990s, including material connected to artists such as Klinik and Dirk Ivens.

In an email sent to Side-Line Sandy Nys (Hybryds) says YouTube removed the channel after what it described as an AI flag for “nudity,” and that no meaningful appeal followed.

The band also told us that backups had survived for years, but that both hard drives failed after about 25 years. “It’s a strong reminder of how fragile digital memory is – without constant care and preservation, even valuable history can disappear overnight.” Nys now plans to re-digitize the original VHS tapes and rebuild what can still be recovered.

UPDATE: In a follow-up email, Nys tells us that they will be uploading all of the content on this Arvhive.org space.

This case again shows that ownership of data has become extremely difficult today and can be quite volatile when you have to rely on external platforms such YouTube. The same goes for Facebook, Instagram, X, … There is simply no guarantee that your content (or even account) will stay alive and kicking in the long run.

About Hybryds

Hybryds is a Belgian project centered on Sandy Nys. The act has been active since the mid-1980s and is known for ritual, mythical and industrial electronic work. Its history reaches back to the cassette-era Belgian underground and later expanded through a broader circle of collaborators, including Peter De Koning.

Nys’ career began with the 1986 cassette “Mythical Music From The 21st Century.” Later releases included “Music For Rituals” in 1992, “The Ritual Of The Rave” in 1995, “Cortex Stimulation” in 1996 and “Electric Voodoo” in 2002. More recent releases include “Mythopia” in 2021, “Mythopia, the Sequel” in 2024, “In the Wake of the Witch – extended release” in 2024 and “Mythopia The radioplay remix album” in 2024.

You may also want to read our recent interview with Sandy Nys from Hybryds.

For a more complete discography, check the list below.

• 1986: “Mythical Music From The 21st Century” (cassette)
• 1991-1992: “The Ritual Should Be Kept Alive, Part 1”, “Music For Rituals”, “The Ritual Should Be Kept Alive, Part 2”
• 1994: “The Rhythm Of The Ritual”, “The Atavistic Fetisj” (EP)
• 1995: “Soundtrack For The Aquarium: Antwerp Zoo”, “The Ritual Of The Rave”
• 1996: “Cortex Stimulation”, “Dreamscapes From A Dark Side”, “Mistrust Authority – Promote Decentralisation”, “Madhr” (split with The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud)
• 1997: “Ein Phallischer Gott”, “Clavis” (with Nebulon), “Live”
• 1998: “Tectonic Overload”
• 2000: “Virtual Impact”
• 2002: “Electric Voodoo”, “Tryptykh”, “Lust” (EP)
• 2008: “Dreambient”
• 2009: “Ritual Anthology”
• 2010: “Urban Rhythms Urban Rituals”
• 2013: “The Silent Whisper”, “Hybryds versus Weydas”
• 2015: “The Ritual Should Be Kept Alive”
• 2017: “Only Darkness”
• 2022: “Mythopia”, plus the Bandcamp reissue of “The Ritual Should Be Kept Alive – part 1”
• 2024: “Mythopia, the sequel.”, “In the wake of the Witch – extended release”, “Mythopia The radioplay remix album”, “I am the eye of Horus”
• 2025: “The ritual of the drum- mini album!”, “Desert of white salt”, “Live at Stubnitz boat 2002.”
• 2026: “Fire and Ice – Part 1”, plus Bandcamp archive uploads of “The ritual of the rave (DAFT – 1995)”, “Cortex Stimulation (DAFT – 1996)”, and “Electric Voodoo (DAFT – 2002)”.

French-German post-punk/darkwave trio Cold Cause have released their self-titled debut album via Manic Depression. The record is available in limited black-vinyl, digiCD and digital formats. The vinyl edition is limited to 200 black copies with a full-colour insert, while the CD edition comes in a three-panel digipak.

The nine-track album offers different approached, from darker dance-oriented material over sharper post-punk tracks to more electronic cuts.

You can check the video for “Road” and “Vampire der Liebe” below.

About Cold Cause

Cold Cause is a French-German trio made up of Luiça on vocals, Bruno on synths and machines, and Mathieu on guitar. The project formed in 2024 around a sound performance dedicated to German artist Joseph Beuys.

Musically the band mixes post-punk, EBM and darkwave.

In March 2026 they released their self-titled album preceeded by the two singles/videos “Road” and “Vampire der Liebe”.

German alternative synthpop act Projekt Ich has just released the new single / video for “In The Fire feat. Stian Shiver” via Echozone. This is the final release in the 15-single series built around the third album “A Beautiful Day In Autumn”, issued as a three-part digital package with the main single, remix editions, and instrumental remix editions.

The track has Ulf Müller as composer and lyricist, Sebastian Sollfrank for vocal melody and lyrics, and Manuel Trabucco for the saxophone and horn parts on the track. The video and single are about a family journey that ends in a crash on a riverbank.

Guest vocals come from Dresden artist Stian Shiver (Portash).

Remixes included on the remix single come from FragileChild, MaXi-P, Restriction 9, and Talking To Ghosts.There is also a B-side, “Inch Habe Angst”, sung by Müller.

And here is the remix single version.

And this is the instrumental version of the single.

About Projekt Ich

Projekt Ich is the alternative synthpop project of Ulf Müller from Rosenheim, Bavaria. The project launched in 2011. After a run of singles and EPs, Müller released the debut album “By Train Through Countries” through Echozone on September 6, 2019.

The second album “Freedom For All” followed on May 13, 2022. In parallel, Müller formed M.U.N.T Connection with Thierry Noritop in June 2021 after earlier joint Projekt Ich recordings including “Sexy Silly Girl” and “Honey Cherie Honey”.

The third album “A Beautiful Day In Autumn” arrived on October 24, 2025 as a 15-track CD and digital release.

Nearly 20 years after their only album to date, “N.M.E.”, the Swedish duo Menticide strikes back hard. Christiaan Riemslag—best known for his involvement in Pouppée Fabrikk—and Johan Damm, former frontman of Dupont, return with this new release consisting of a title track, a kind of B-side, a cover version, and two additional alternate versions of the title song.

Menticide has simply remained true to itself; time has no effect on good old EBM. This is pure vintage EBM, driven by heavy, dark bass lines that instantly recall Pouppée Fabrikk, complemented by raw sounds and a hard, pounding beat. All songs—except for the cover—are performed in German. The result is a powerful title track with two fantastic alternative edits, an even stronger B-side track—which, of course, isn’t really a B-side—and a daring yet successful EBM adaptation of Fad Gadget’s “Ricky’s Hand”, featuring none other than Robert Enforsen of Elegant Machinery.

This is a very strong comeback, and I sincerely hope a new album will follow. (Rating: (8½).

Listen to: “Der Meister – 12” Remix”:

https://scanner-dd.bandcamp.com/track/der-meister-12-remix

Gabriele Panci is an Italian artist who has been active since the 1990s within the broader sonic realms of Dark-Ambient, Drone, and related genres. I first discovered him through the Konau project, but it is above all with the solo project New Risen Throne that he truly captured my full attention. More than 20 years ago, he released his debut album, and since then he has built an extensive discography, including several notable collaborations while he still remained involved in different side-projects. The latest album, “The Journey To Reach The Fathers”, released via Cyclic Law, once again demonstrates what New Risen Throne stands for. The work remains grounded in a perfect fusion of Dark-Ambient and Drone influences, enriched by an essential Ritualistic element that has always defined the project. The music is both intriguing and deeply immersive, revealing a highly personal creation that Gabriele Panci explores further in the interview below. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

New Risen Throne interview

Q: Last year seemed to be a very productive one for you. Not only did you release a new album with New Risen Throne, but also a collaboration with Phragments, as well as a collective album on Cryo Chamber. How do you look back on 2025 and these diverse productions? 

Gabriele: Looking back on 2025, it was an intense and very productive year. Releasing “The Journey To  Reach The Fathers” as a solo work, collaborating with Phragments on “Between Ecstasy And  Death”, and contributing to the Cryo Chamber’s “Tombs”-series album (it’s my second time on  the series) allowed me to explore very different creative processes. Each project challenged  me in a unique way. Solo work pushed the conceptual and emotional depth, collaboration  opened new dynamics and the collective piece let me experiment within a wider sonic  context. For me, it wasn’t just about producing music, but about engaging with sound from  multiple perspectives and pushing my own boundaries as a composer and producer. Looking  back, I feel 2025 was one of growth, experimentation, and a deepening of the paths I want to continue following. 

Q: The title of the New Risen Throne album, “The Journey To Reach The Fathers”, carries a deeper, esoteric concept in  which death seems to function as a starting point for a more profound, ancestral quest. Am I understanding  this correctly? Could you elaborate on that idea? 

Gabriele: Yes, your understanding is quite close to what I intended. In “The Journey To Reach The Fathers”, death is not framed as a divine or supernatural event, it is simply the end of life. Yet the passing of someone close inevitably makes us imagine a continuation, a kind of journey beyond what we know. I pictured  this journey as a passage through five portals, each one representing a stage that gradually frees us from the burdens accumulated during life. It is both a passage and a release, culminating in a space  where reunion with those we’ve loved becomes possible. 

This album is profoundly personal to me, dedicated to my father, who passed away almost  thirty years ago. For a long time I wanted to dedicate a work to him, but I never felt ready or  skilled enough to adequately translate my feelings and thoughts about his passing. With this  album, I finally feel I’ve managed to express it in the right way. 

Q: To what extent did this concept influence the music itself? Or was it perhaps the other way around — did the music shape the concept? How did the composition and production process unfold? 

Gabriele: The concept of gradual liberation after death directly shaped the music itself. I deliberately designed the tracks to become increasingly primitive and ritualistic as the album progresses, reflecting the journey through the five portals. 

The first two pieces, “The Leaving” and “Blowing Funeral Chant (II)”, mark the beginning of the  journey. They are the richest in melody and compositional structure, setting the stage for  what follows. As the listener moves through the five Gates, the tracks become mostly  ritualistic drones, emphasizing space, repetition, and the stripping away of excess, guiding  the listener through the stages of passage and release. 

Finally, in “Where Fathers Dwell”, I return to melody, signaling the end of the journey and the  reunion with what has been lost. 

Q: Should we interpret your music as a form of contemporary mysticism, or rather as a sonic translation of  ancient principles? Where does your inspiration originate? 

Gabriele:I would say it’s a combination of both, though neither in a literal sense. There is certainly a mystical  dimension in my work (the sense of journey, ritual, and transformation) but it’s more about evoking  states of mind than following any traditional system or doctrine. At the same time, some of the  structures, repetitions, and ritualistic elements in the music do echo ancient principles, whether in  myth or ceremony. 

As for inspiration, it comes from many places. Films and TV series, books (Philip K. Dick in  particular), walks in the woods, moments of reflection, and, of course, the music I’ve loved  over the years. I also draw from the interplay between sound and visual imagery: the music  often develops alongside the visual concepts I create, and the two feed into each other. 

Q: What fascinates me about your New Risen Throne concept — and also about the collaboration with Phragments on  “Between Ecstasy And Death” — is that although the themes and soundscapes are undeniably dark, there  seems to be an underlying quest for enlightenment and wisdom. Am I misinterpreting this, or is there indeed  a deeper purpose behind the darkness? 

Gabriele: You’re not misinterpreting it. Even though the themes and soundscapes are undeniably dark,  there is always a sense of journey and transformation at the core of my work. The darkness is not an end in itself. It’s the space in which reflection, release, and understanding can emerge. 

“In Between Ecstasy And Death”, as with much of my music, the collaboration with  Phragments allowed us to explore extremes of emotion and atmosphere, but the underlying  purpose is to guide the listener through a process. It’s about confronting the unknown, facing loss, and moving toward a state of clarity or insight. In that sense, the darkness becomes a  medium for something larger, a sonic exploration of transition. 

Even the logo of New Risen Throne reflects this idea: it represents a sun, which can be  interpreted as either rising or setting, but in any case it is always a sun, a symbol of cycles,  passage, and the constant presence of light, even within darkness. 

Q: How do you perceive your evolution as a musician over the years? To what extent has the expansion of  your instruments, studio techniques, and production methods shaped that evolution — and more  specifically, how did this influence your most recent album? 

Gabriele: In the very early years, I worked entirely on a computer, using plugins to create and shape my sounds. Over time, I began incorporating hardware synthesizers, which opened up new  possibilities for textures and drones. At the same time, I continued using field recordings and  kept my passion for heavy resampling, especially of vocal material, which has always been a  central part of my sound. The use of hardware synthesizers, together with field recordings  and vocal sampling, has gradually influenced all of my recent works. These elements have  become increasingly integrated into my creative process, shaping the atmosphere and overall character of my sound over time.

Q: After such an intense and productive 2025, what can we expect from you in 2026? 

Gabriele: I’m currently working on two new albums for 2026 and 2027, which will be released through  two Italian labels, Eighth Tower Records and Glacial Movements. I’ve finally almost  completed the first chapter of the virtual reality experience based on my 2020 album “The  Outside”, and I’ll soon be able to release it on stores. At the same time, I’ve started sketching  concepts and ideas for the second chapter.

HLAD is a recent project driven by Alexander Kuz. With “Imminent,” the project joins the Cryo Chamber roster, presenting eleven tracks loosely inspired by the reboot of Civilization.

The album has a distinctly Cinematic quality, though the line between this and Dark-Ambient is often razor-thin. It begins with an atmosphere of relative calm and prosperity, gradually evolving into something far more mysterious and almost abyssal. While the overall tone remains subdued, there is a constant sense of an ominous presence lurking beneath the surface. To achieve this effect, HLAD makes use of a rich palette of sounds, textures, and subtle sonic details.

I was genuinely impressed by this official debut, which reveals significant potential. HLAD is definitely a project to keep an eye on. (Rating:8½).

Listen to “Barren Land”:

https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/track/barren-land

“Onryōtan,” translated as “Tales Of Vengeful Spirits,” is a collaboration between the Belgian project Empusae (Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe) and Japanese composer Maris Anguis (Ryo Utasato). The album draws inspiration from Japanese folk horror and ritual traditions, resulting in seven tracks.

The album presents a well-balanced fusion of Dark-Ambient influences and Eastern—specifically Japanese—elements of Ritual music and atmospheric imagery. The sound is dark and perfectly complements the Eastern acoustic instruments, as well as the distinctive, Ethereal vocals of Maris Anguis. Beyond its darkness, the album exudes a sense of mystery that can deeply move the listener and even induce a trance-like state. Some pieces lean toward a meditative atmosphere, yet the overall experience remains firmly rooted in Ritualistic soundscapes. The first four tracks stand out as masterpieces in their own right—elaborate compositions enriched with stirring percussion passages. The authenticity of the album is heightened by the use of traditional instruments and the powerful vocal presence. The final tracks remain convincing, though slightly less impactful, making the opening section the clear highlight of the album.

“Onryōtan” is one of those collaborations one can only hope will be continued. Once again, Empusae demonstrates remarkable versatility and boundless creativity. (Rating:8½).

Listen to “Tename”:

https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/track/tename

Catholic Guns, the new German duo of Martin von Arndt (vocals) and Ralf Jesek (music), has released the three-track single “Anything” via VUZ Records. The release is out as a digital download and as a very limited 3″ CD-R holding the tracks “Anything”, “Some Fatal Touch” and “Downwards”.

Catholic Guns is an electro/new wave project with a political edge as the songs are intended as a statement against right-wing extremism and religious fundamentalism. The material was recorded at m’Attic in Karlsruhe in 2026, the mastering was done by Per-Anders Kurenbach at House Of Wax NRW.

Both musicians are not exactly newbees, Martin von Arndt brings in his background from Printed At Bismarck’s Death, I-M-R and the earlier collaboration Griffin’s Fall, while Ralf Jesek comes from I-M-R, In My Rosary, Derrière Le Miroir, Griffin’s Fall, Mary’s Comic and T-HE.

About Catholic Guns

Catholic Guns is a German electro/new wave duo formed by Martin von Arndt and Ralf Jesek. Von Arndt handles vocals and Jesek plays instruments. The project continues a long working relationship that previously included I-M-R and Griffin’s Fall. The band describes its material as electro wave with a critical edge and presents the songs as a statement against right-wing extremism and religious fundamentalism.

Both musicians are far from newcomers: Martin von Arndt brings experience from Printed At Bismarck’s Death, I-M-R and Griffin’s Fall, while Ralf Jesek’s background includes I-M-R, In My Rosary, Derrière Le Miroir, Griffin’s Fall, Mary’s Comic and T-HE.

Aesthetic Perfection and SWARM have released the digital single “Sorrow” via Out Of Line Music. The track is accompanied by an official visualizer, which you can see below. The release comes as a two-track digital single pairing “Sorrow” with “We Bring the Beat.”

“Sorrow” is the second advance single from Aesthetic Perfection’s forthcoming album. Daniel Graves wrote the song during a period of heartbreak, and the track was later rebuilt with SWARM’s Brandon Carroll, who also handled mixing and mastering.

“It wasn’t written for a specific band or project, I just needed to make sense of what was going on in my own mind. The song sat unused for what seemed like an eternity, until Brandon brought it to life in a way I’d never thought possible,” Graves says.

Carroll adds: “As soon as I heard it, that same feeling I had almost a decade earlier was there. Daniel and I were on the same musical wavelength throughout the whole process, we transformed that demo into a demolisher. More importantly, the emotional aspect is still loud and clear.”

The collaboration also follows both artists’ involvement on Till Lindemann’s “Zunge 2025”. That expanded edition includes “Und die Engel singen – SWARM Remix” and “Meine Welt – Weltuntergang Remix by Aesthetic Perfection.”

Aesthetic Perfection 2026 live dates

US Headline Tour (with PRIEST & Julien-K)

• 02.04.2026 – West Hollywood, US – Whisky A Go Go
• 03.04.2026 – San Diego, US – Brick By Brick
• 04.04.2026 – Pomona, US – Flyway
• 05.04.2026 – San Francisco, US – DNA Lounge
• 09.04.2026 – Madison, US – The Annex
• 10.04.2026 – West Chicago, US – The WC Social Club
• 11.04.2026 – Cleveland, US – The Foundry Concert Club
• 12.04.2026 – Harrisburg, US – Capital City Music Hall
• 14.04.2026 – Clifton, US – Dingbatz
• 15.04.2026 – Philadelphia, US – Nikki Lopez Philly
• 16.04.2026 – Rochester, US – Photo City Music Hall
• 17.04.2026 – New York City, US – The Meadows
• 18.04.2026 – Hartford, US – The Webster
• 19.04.2026 – Manchester, US – Jewel Music Venue
• 21.04.2026 – Raleigh, US – Chapel of Bones
• 24.04.2026 – Austin, US – Come and Take It Live
• 25.04.2026 – Houston, US – Scout Bar
• 26.04.2026 – Dallas, US – Trees
• 29.04.2026 – Glendale, US – The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife
• 30.04.2026 – Las Vegas, US – The Dive Bar
• 01.05.2026 – Salt Lake City, US – Liquid Joe’s
• 02.05.2026 – Denver, US – Ritual Noize Festival

Festivals & European headline dates

• 08.05.2026 – Berlin, DE – Astra Kulturhaus
• 22.05.2026 – Leipzig, DE – Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2026
• 08.08.2026 – Hildesheim, DE – M’era Luna Festival 2026
• 02.11.2026 – Paris, FR – O’Sullivans Backstage By The Mill
• 03.11.2026 – Köln, DE – Essigfabrik
• 04.11.2026 – Berlin, DE – Frannz Club
• 06.11.2026 – Oberhausen, DE – Kulttempel
• 10.11.2026 – München, DE – Backstage
• 11.11.2026 – Frankfurt am Main, DE – Das Bett
• 12.11.2026 – Hannover, DE – Musikzentrum Hannover
• 13.11.2026 – Leipzig/Engelsdorf, DE – Hellraiser-Leipzig
• 14.11.2026 – Hamburg, DE – Markthalle

About Aesthetic Perfection & SWARM

Aesthetic Perfection is the industrial pop project Daniel Graves launched in Los Angeles in 2000. The project later relocated to Linz, Austria. Live the band consists of Graves alongside Joe Letz and Constance Antoinette Day.

The project originally was signed to Metropolis in the US and Out Of Line in Europe before Graves shifted activity to his own Close to Human Music imprint.

The first release was “Close to Human” in 2005 and “A Violent Emotion” in 2008. That was followed by “All Beauty Destroyed” in 2011, “‘Til Death” in 2014, “Imperfect” and “Blood Spills Not Far from the Wound” in 2015, “Into the Black” in 2019, and “MMXXI” in 2022, plus the digital EP “Bad Vibes” in 2024.

In 2025, Graves rebuilt the debut album as “Closer to Human”. Later that year, Aesthetic Perfection returned to Out Of Line with “We Bring the Beat”, released on November 6, 2025. In February 2026, that track was followed by “We Bring the Beat (Sebastian Komor Remix)”. And now there is “Sorrow”.

SWARM is the project of Brandon Carroll. The project has been active since 2018 and musically brings a mix of dark electronic, industrial, and bass-heavy production.

Einstürzende Neubauten have introduced Josefine Lukschy as their new bass player. Josefine Lukschy was chosen several months ago through two rounds of try outs. Lukschy is already rehearsing with the band ahead of the upcoming shows.

The band’s official live page currently lists 11 confirmed 2026 festival dates, starting on April 6 at BRDCST in Brussels. More 2026 dates are still in the works.

Einstürzende Neubauten live dates 2026

• April 6 – Brussels – BRDCST
• April 10 – Nantes – Variationes
• April 12 – Den Haag – Rewire Festival
• May 22–25 – Leipzig – Wave Gotik Treffen
• June 3 – Trento – SanbàPolis
• June 5 – Barcelona – Primavera Sound
• June 17 – Thessaloniki – Moni Lazariston
• July 9 – Wiltz – Festival de Wiltz
• July 19 – Plovdiv – Phillgood Festival
• August 8 – Katowice – OFF Festival
• August 11 – Uppsala – Parksnäckan

About Einstürzende Neubauten

Einstürzende Neubauten formed in West Berlin on April 1, 1980. The original line-up included Blixa Bargeld, N. U. Unruh, Gudrun Gut and Beate Bartel. The group emerged from the West Berlin underground and built its early identity around scrap metal, found objects and custom-made instruments.

Their debut album “Kollaps” followed in November 1981 followed by releases such as “Kollaps”, “Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.”, “Halber Mensch”, “Haus der Lüge”, “Tabula Rasa” and “Ende Neu” across the ZickZack, Some Bizzare and Mute years.

Around the early 2000s, the band moved part of its activity into its supporter-driven online model, an internet-based independent production platform. Later studio releases included “Silence Is Sexy” in 2000, “Perpetuum Mobile” in 2004, “Alles wieder offen” in 2007, “Lament” in 2014, “Alles in Allem” in 2020 and “Rampen (apm: alien pop music)” in 2024.

The current line-up now includes Bargeld, Unruh, Jochen Arbeit, Rudolph Moser and Josefine Lukschy. Alexander Hacke announced his departure in April 2025.

German post-punk/darkwave act Escape With Romeo just released the digital single “Sound and the Fury”. The track comes out via Zeit.Klang Records and is the third single from the band’s forthcoming 13th studio album, “Night After Night,” which is scheduled for late summer 2026.

Thomas Elbern adds that “Sound and the Fury” was the first song written for “Night After Night” and that it was also the track that set the further recordings for the album in motion. An official video is also available.

Escape With Romeo tour dates 2026

Here are Escape With Romeo’s upcoming tour dates currently listed for 2026. The band’s official site says that more dates will be announced.

• April 4, 2026 – Death Disco Indoor Festival, Athens, Greece
• May 29, 2026 – Dark City, Benidorm, Spain
• July 25, 2026 – Amphi Festival, Cologne, Germany
• September 19, 2026 – Liveevil / LIVE EVIL im Fat Cat, Munich, Germany
• October 2, 2026 – Yard Club, Cologne, Germany
• October 3, 2026 – Grend / GREND Kulturzentrum, Essen, Germany
• October 10, 2026 – Die Stadtmitte, Karlsruhe, Germany
• October 11, 2026 – Movie EventCafe, Bielefeld, Germany
• October 23, 2026 – Club Stereo, Nuremberg, Germany
• October 24, 2026 – Das Rind, Rüsselsheim, Germany
• October 29, 2026 – Hafenklang, Hamburg, Germany (support: RUEBI)
• October 30, 2026 – Urban Spree, Berlin, Germany
• October 31, 2026 – Shadow Dance Party: Halloween Edition, Pod Minoga, Poznań, Poland

About Escape With Romeo

Escape With Romeo was founded in Cologne in 1989 by singer and guitarist Thomas Elbern. Before launching the band, Elbern had been active in Seltsame Zustände and later played guitar and wrote songs for Pink Turns Blue. Musically the band described its style as “Post Punk meets modern Electronica.”

The band’s early catalog was released through Sound Factory. That run started with the self-titled “Escape With Romeo” in 1990, followed by “Autumn on Venus” in 1991, “Next Stop Eternally” in 1993, “Blast of Silence” in 1996 and “How Far Can You Go” in 1998. The early single “Somebody” became the band’s best-known scene track, and keyboard player Martin Pott joined from the second album onward.

From 2001 onward, Escape With Romeo releases moved to Zeitklang, the label run by Thomas Elbern. Albums from that period include “Come Here White Light” (2001), “Love Alchemy” (2002), “Psalms of Survival” (2004), “Emotional Iceage” (2007), “Samsara” (2012) and “After the Future” (2015).

The band announced its farewell in 2017, played a final tour in 2018, and after festival appearances in 2019 was dissolved.

The band returned in 2022 with “Based on a True Story – Best of Escape With Romeo,” a double compilation that reworked older material. That led into “Suspicious Bliss,” released on November 1, 2024, which marked the first new studio album since “After the Future.” In early 2026 the band began the rollout for “Night After Night” with “Fear’s a ghost,” and now follows it with “Sound and the Fury.”

Anno 2026, Thomas is joined by Max Küchenmeister, Franz “Frenzy” Erl and Tobias Schwartz.

Budapest artist Planetdamage (aka Máriusz Bari) has released his second album “KILLCAPS” as a digital album on Bandcamp. Thematically the 15-track record tackles surveillance, artificial intelligence, and corporate and state oppression.

The album includes 12 original tracks plus remixes by Angelspit, Kris Baha and Statiqbloom. Part of the material also comes from Bari’s heavier side project RTFXX. Also featured on a couple of tracks is Marty Rawkman of Sydney act New Project who handled guitars, extra backing vocals and lyrics to “Incendiary“. The album was mastered by Colin C. at The Cell Studio.

About Planetdamage

Planetdamage is the Budapest-based solo project of Máriusz Bari, a writer, journalist, lecturer and musician. Planetdamage was founded 2016 and is one of two aliases for Bari’s musical work, the other being RTFXX.

Bari self-released the EP “Snapshots of a Surveillance Manifesto” on May 25, 2016. After that, he moved to Two Gods Records, the label run by Martin Bowes of Attrition, where he released “Angst” on December 1, 2016 followed by the physical “Angst LP/2CDEP” on September 23, 2017, and “Stray Signal” on February 1, 2018.

He then shifted to Black Pill Red Pill Records with “Hi Rez Lo Life”, released on January 11, 2019. It was followed by “Scraps” on June 16, 2020, the debut full-length “Relapse Protocol” on November 13, 2020, and “Relapse Protocol – The Remixes” on May 31, 2021. Later releases include “Black Ice” on March 4, 2022, the RTFXX release “Cheatcode (Neongreen is Humanmeat)” on March 3, 2023, the 2024 cover “Én leszek a mély”. The project also participated on the Hungarian compilation “New Horizon“, and now there’s “KILLCAPS”.

Shock Corridor, the Naarm/Melbourne post-punk, trip-hop and experimental rock six-piece, today release the new single “Buster” with an official video.

The release follows a steady run of earlier material. Shock Corridor issued the three-track debut EP “I’m Afraid I’ve Lost My Way” on November 5, 2023, then followed with the singles “In Your Orbit” on November 9, 2024, “Mayday!” on December 29, 2024, and “Drag Nets” on April 25, 2025.

A live clip for “Mayday!” (Live) is also available.

About Shock Corridor

Shock Corridor are a six-piece from Naarm/Melbourne which formed in 2019. The current lineup consists of George Miller, Saskia Permezel, Joe Nossal, Ari Guthrie, Paddy Walter and Henry Rawling.

Their first release was the EP “I’m Afraid I’ve Lost My Way”, issued on November 5, 2023 with the tracks “Somersault”, “Stop All The Clocks”, and “Abyssal”. That first EP was the result of a four-year development phase.

The band returned in 2024 and 2025 with “In Your Orbit”, “Mayday!”, and “Drag Nets”. And now there is the new single “Buster” and an official video.

Oleh Puzan is a tireless artist who brings out various new releases—collaborations or otherwise—each year. He was slightly less productive last year, but he is back in early 2026 with this new work. In it, the Ukrainian artist explores fragmented cognition and brief moments of clarity within a collapsing inner structure.

The conceptl sounds a bit complex, but the music becomes very accessible for the true connoisseur of obscure Cinematic experiences. Dronny Darko invites us into one of his darkest productions to date. The atmosphere he creates sounds like an infinite, black hole in which field recordings, low tones, and spoken sampling guide the listener through unknown areas of themselves. The album moves between the pure, dark Cinematic genre on the one hand and Drone on the other. The tracks were carefully constructed and provided with a wide array of sounds and effects. Towards the end, I got a post-apocalyptic feeling, as if you suddenly wake up in a lonely world that I can imagine perfectly symbolizes the inner feelings of many people in these times. He also called upon Fractalyst, Apocryphos, and RNGMNN to collaborate, each on one track.

I have heard quite a lot of work from Dronny Darko, but here he delivers perhaps his strongest and most poignant production ever. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Backward Rationalization feat. Fractalyst”:

https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/track/backward-rationalization-feat-fractalyst

Italian shoegaze/post-punk band Kodaclips today releases the digital single “Pirouette” via Bronson Recordings. The track arrives with a new video and follows “27”, the first single from the band’s new collaboration with the Italian label. The new material also introduces Linda Capuano as the band’s lead singer.

The band says this about the new single: “Pirouette was written with a sense of nostalgia in mind: the feeling that can surface some time after losing someone, when you’re no longer sure whether you miss that person or who you were back then.”

Self-produced by the band, “Pirouette” was mixed by Andrea Volpato at Fox Recording Studio in Seattle and mastered by Manuel Volpe at Okum Produzioni. Musically the song moves between shoegaze and post-punk.

The video was filmed at Alablaster Studio in Rimini. It was directed and edited by Linda Capuano and Samuele Bernardi, with cinematography by Martina Fabbri and Leonardo Gasperoni. The clip features the band in a rehearsal-space setting and combines performance footage with processed ballet imagery tied to the title.

“Pirouette” is available now as a digital single.

About Kodaclips

Kodaclips is a shoegaze/alternative band from Cesena, Italy and was founded in 2021. The current lineup is Lorenzo Ricci on guitar, Sonny Sbrighi on bass, Linda Capuano on lead vocals, Francesco Casadei Lelli on drums and synthesizers, and Samuele Bernardi on guitar.

Their debut album, “Glances”, was released on October 11, 2022 through Overdub Recordings. The album was produced by the band, recorded and mixed by Lorenzo Ricci, and mastered by Andrea Scardovi at Duna Studio. The record established the band’s early guitar-led mix of shoegaze and alternative rock.

Kodaclips followed with “Gone Is The Day” on September 6, 2024 via Sister9 Recordings. That album was produced by the band and mixed and mastered by James Aparicio. Around that period the group played support dates for A Place to Bury Strangers and later Slowdive in Italy, while also touring in the UK, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and parts of Eastern Europe.

A December 2024 appearance at Festival Passatelli in Bronson led to the start of the band’s collaboration with Bronson Recordings. That partnership produced the 2026 single “27” and now “Pirouette”. The new material also introduces Linda Capuano as the band’s lead singer.

Rammstein’s Till Lindemann has released the new single “Es brennt…” via Out Of Line Music. The official NSFW video is out now as well, while the physical editions are scheduled for May 29, 2026. The new clip combines live footage with private tour-life material.

The single will be released as a limited red smoke 12-inch vinyl, a regular black 12-inch vinyl, a limited 7-inch vinyl, a limited minimax picture CD, and a regular maxi CD. The limited 7-inch, and the picture CD are exclusive to the label’s own store.

The CD and 12-inch editions add Till Lindemann’s cover of Marlene Dietrich’s “Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt” plus two alternate versions of “Es brennt…” by Alex Terrible and Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost. The 7-inch edition contains “Es brennt…” on side A and the Dietrich cover on side B.

Tracklist for the CD and 12-inch editions

1. “Es brennt…”
2. “Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt”
3. “Es brennt…” (The Terrible Version by Alex Terrible)
4. “Es brennt…” (Doomfire Version by Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost)

Tracklist for the 7-inch edition

• A: “Es brennt…”
• B: “Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt”

About Till Lindemann

Till Lindemann is a German singer, songwriter, poet, and actor born in Leipzig in 1963. Before Rammstein, he played drums in the Schwerin band First Arsch, which was formed in 1986. Rammstein was then formed in Berlin in 1994, with Lindemann as lead vocalist.

Outside Rammstein, Lindemann launched the duo Lindemann with Swedish musician and producer Peter Tägtgren in 2014. That project released the albums “Skills in Pills” in 2015 and “F & M” in 2019, before ending in 2020.

Under his own name, Lindemann released the album “Zunge” in November 2023. After signing with Out Of Line, the single “Meine Welt” arrived digitally on December 20, 2024 and physically on March 28, 2025. That was followed by “Und die Engel singen” on August 8, 2025, the expanded “Zunge 2025” edition on September 26, 2025, and the double-single “Alles ändert sich” on February 20, 2026.

“Es brennt…” is the next release for the enigmatic frontman.

“Morality: A Broken Flag Compilation” is back in print through Fourth Dimension as a remastered 2CD edition of the 1985 Broken Flag cassette “Morality” (BF41). Compiled by Gary Mundy, the set brings together material from Next, John Duncan, Controlled Bleeding, Le Syndicat, Jonathan Briley, Pax Romana, Ankh, Croyners, Un-Kommuniti, Toll, Anton Pna, Nine, Pacific 231, The Grey Wolves, and Paroksi Eksta.

Back in 1985 Gary Mundy (Ramleh) asked the original contributors were asked to “define it, refuse it, occupy it, destroy it”. The reissue of that material has now been remastered by Puppy38. The package of the 2CD set comes as a six-panel sleeve based on the original artwork.

Gary Mundy is a British experimental musician best known as the founding member of Ramleh and co-founder of the Broken Flag label, which he started with Debbie Thomas in 1982. Broken Flag became one of the key UK labels in the early power electronics and industrial underground.

The reissue of “Morality” is limited to 500 copies, and the label itself no longer has copies. If interested, then Cold Spring is your best choice, they have the 2CD in stock.

Below are some visuals from the original cassette release.

Tracklist for ‘Morality: A Broken Flag Compilation’

CD1

1. Next – “Introduction”
2. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
3. Controlled Bleeding – “Innocence Part One”
4. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
5. Le Syndicat – “Argument Total 1”
6. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
7. Jonathan Briley – “Intro to Our Times”
8. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
9. Pax Romana – “Rectoscopy 2”
10. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
11. Ankh – “Phone Initiation Pt.1”
12. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
13. Croyners – untitled
14. Next – untitled
15. Croyners – “Baby Song”
16. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
17. Ankh – “Phone Initiation Pt. 2”
18. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
19. Un-Kommuniti – “Crusade Pt. 1”
20. Next – untitled
21. Un-Kommuniti – “Crusade Pt. 2”
22. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
23. Le Syndicat – “Argument Total 2”

CD2

1. Paroksi Eksta – “Icona O La Lue”
2. Next – untitled
3. Le Syndicat – “Argument Total 4”
4. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
5. Toll – “Perfecting Naivety”
6. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
7. Controlled Bleeding – “Innocence Pt. 2”
8. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
9. Anton Pna – “Moral Morsel to G.Z.”
10. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
11. Un-Kommuniti – “Crusade Pt. 3”
12. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
13. Nine – untitled
14. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
15. Pacific 231 – “Set & Thot”
16. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
17. Croyners – untitled
18. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
19. Croyners – untitled
20. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”
21. The Grey Wolves – “Baptism of Fire”
22. John Duncan – “Prostitution Tapes”

About Broken Flag

Broken Flag was founded in 1982 by Gary Mundy of Ramleh and Debbie Thomas. It was a sporadic but influential power electronics and industrial label which focused on radical music, noise, and power electronics. Its earliest releases centred on Mundy’s own project Ramleh before expanding to artists such as Le Syndicat, M.B., Controlled Bleeding, Giancarlo Toniutti, and other Mundy-related projects.

Mundy kept Broken Flag active as a label and distribution outlet, continuing to issue Ramleh material and related underground releases. This new “Morality” edition follows Fourth Dimension’s earlier reissue of another Broken Flag compilation, “Never Say When”.