Very sad news from the electronic music world in Belgium. Herman Celis, the drummer and co-founder of the new wave act 2 Belgians, died in Antwerp at the age of 67. The group scored several hits in the 80s with “Opération Coup de Poing” (1984), “Queen of Mine” (1985) and especially “Lena” (1985). 2 Belgen was formed in Ghent in 1982 and initially consisted of singer-guitarist Rembert De Smet and drummer Herman Celis. Later De Smet focused on the use of the guitar synthesizer. In 1982 the first single “Quand le film est triste” / “Lena” and the first album “2 Belgen” were released. After this first album, the duo expanded into a real band. The group was officially disbanded in 1993. De Smet later became active with the (excellent!) flamenco pop group Está Loco and created with the track “Llorar” an instant classic. On January 28, 2017, he died of cancer at the age of 62.

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Out now via Warsaw Recordings / AWAL is the new Helax EP, “But it wasn´t a dream. It was real”, a 6-track dark ambient release recorded in Autumn/Winter this year in a studio in Berlin. Coming from Uppsala. Sweden but based in Berlin, Helax is the brainchild of the Swedish producer John Alexander Ericson who’s behind the dream-pop duo The Ghost Of Helags. Most tracks on the EP (like “Lichtenberg” and “A Place With No Memory”) were written and perfected on long night drives on the Autobahn on the outskirts of Berlin. Going back and forth between various mixes. The lead up single “We Are Only Light” released on May 7 holds sampled horns and analogue arpeggios built around a lofi blues vocal sung by Australian singer Carrol. Check the EP out below. Here is the video for “We Are Only Light”.

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Out now is the eponymous self-released debut album from the Italian/Welsh dreampop / synthpop band Lunar Bird. To push the release a new single and video have been released for the track “Second Circle”. Here’s what the band says about the single: “The song is a melancholic ballad in three movements about a process of rebirth, the end of love becomes an opportunity to get rid of the the ghosts of the past.” You can watch the video below. Lunar Bird was formed in 2017. Their debut EP “Daydreamer” was released one year later, in 2018. Band members include RWCMD graduate jazz singer, songwriter and synth player Roberta Musillami, composer and visual artist Eliseo Di Malto, bass player Francis George, drummer Ellie Strong and synth player Ross Davies. A very diverse lot, which culminated in a dream pop / synthpop approach. Several tracks were released earlier this year to announce the band’s debut album: “Swallow Man Aviary”, “Emerald and Blue” and now “Second Circle”.

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(Photo by Mothmeister) The Belgian EBM cult act Front 242 has announced an update on their forthcoming USA tour dates for 2021 and you can assume that these dates will not change anymore as the USA is currently one of the few countries who have managed to get the pandemic under control. Fully vaccinated Americans can also now discard masks and the need for social distancing outdoors and in most indoors settings, so the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) said Thursday in an announcement after months of mostly cautious measures. A person is considered fully vaccinated against the coronavirus two weeks after getting the second Pfizer or Moderna shot or the same length of time after receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The new announcement represents a major step toward a return to normalcy after a pandemic that has lasted more than a year but which however never reached the disastrous figures like in Europe. Just to give you an example, Belgium for instance is one of the worst hit countries in the world if you look at the number of cases per 100.000 inhabitants. So here are the concert dates for Front 242 in the USA. […]

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UK electronic indie outfit H2SO4 are back with a brand new single and video “Machines Love”. For this they collaborated with the production duo Bombay Monkey (feat. also H2SO4 co-founder Andy Phillips). The duo also also worked on H2SO4’s upcoming album “Love And Death” to be released on 23rd July 2021. “The work process was fast and fluid,” says Phillips of his role as co-producer/mixer. “I picked out some key songs that Graham and James had already recorded and got a few raw ideas together before playing them to Guy, who would either do nothing at all or completely turn them on their head. Neither of us was sure what we were dealing with but almost every track we worked up sounded great. However, it wasn’t until we played them to a friend who came up with the final album running order that we knew we’d got something special on our hands.” The accompanying video for “Machines Love” features H2SO4 vocalist James Butler battling with dancer Lydia Savva. About H2SO4 H2SO4 began in 1998 as a remix project when electro pioneers Code reworked songs by indie group Sulphur (then signed to Rhythm King). After the singles “I Need Love” and […]

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Vlimmer is the sonic brainchild of German musician, producer, label owner, visual artist and book author Alexander Leonard Donat. He’s involved with numerous projects, but Vlimmer definitely is a special one. By the end of 2020 he released the final chapter of an impressive eighteen EP-series. It took him five years to achieve this unique concept, which has been released on his own label Blackjack Illuminist Records. The songs are quite diversified, but often influenced by Shoegaze, Dark-Pop, Dark-Wave and related genres. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries) Q: Can you briefly tell us how you got involved with music and how did you come to set up Vlimmer? What have been the main influences and references when setting up Vlimmer? Alexander: I’ve been playing different kinds of instruments since the age of four. I started with classical music and the violin, a little later I went on playing the piano and even tried out handling the trumpet. I’m in the third generation of a musical family, but the first one who makes Rock/Electronic music. Additionally, I’m the first one not doing it on a professional basis. My dad is a classical pianist and a university teacher, my grandfather was one […]

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(Photo by Phil Sharp) Erasure have announced details of “The Neon Remixed”, an album collating new remixes from their latest album, “The Neon”, alongside a brand new track, “Secrets”. “The Neon Remixed” is set for release on 30 July 2021 on limited edition double colored vinyl and gatefold CD, both packaged in a mirror board sleeve. On “The Neon Remixed” you’ll see tracks from 2020’s “The Neon” remixed by a host of artists including Kim Ann Foxman, Hifi Sean, Octo Octa, Paul Humphreys (OMD), Andy Bell & Gareth Jones, Brixxtone, Theo Kottis and more. Listen to the new track, “Secrets” right below. October 2021 will see Erasure bring The Neon to venues across the UK, Ireland, Germany and Denmark, kicking off at the Glasgow Armadillo auditorium on 1 October, with a London date at the O2 Arena on 17 October. Tickets can be bought right here. ERASURE – THE NEON TOUR – 2021 DATES 1 Oct 21 – Glasgow, Armadillo – SOLD OUT 2 Oct 21 – Glasgow, Armadillo – SOLD OUT 4 Oct 21 – Dublin, 3Arena 6 Oct 21 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall – SOLD OUT 7 Oct 21 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall – SOLD OUT 9 Oct […]

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Datblygu were an experimental Welsh rock group formed in 1982. They are regarded as a catalyst of the new wave of Welsh rock in the early 1980s. Their first two albums, “Wyau” (Eggs) and “Pyst” (Post), are now being reissued in vinyl. We knew this band, but many readers obviously never heard of it. So here is a round up of what they were about and below you can also check out said reissues. Datblygu (which is Welsh for ‘progress’, ‘evolution’ and/or ‘development’) was started in 1982 while David R. Edwards was still at school in Aberteifi, Ceredigion. At first it was him and instrumentalist T Wyn Davies, before Patricia Morgan joined in 1984. Datblygu’s music was often experimental, and they even got described as ‘Kraftwerk with a hangover’. After four cassette-only releases on Casetiau Neon, the band had their first vinyl release in 1987 on Anhrefn Records, with the “Hwgr-Grawth-Og” EP featuring just Edwards and Morgan. The release was picked up by John Peel and led to a session being recorded for his BBC Radio 1 show (the first of five such sessions). Datblygu’s first full album, “Wyau” (Eggs), was released in 1988 and followed by “Pyst” (Post) in […]

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(Photo by Elin Berge) The Knife continues its 20th anniversary celebration as the duo of Karin and Olof Dreijer announces a “Silent Shout” audio-visual experience on May 14 at 2pm Eastern via the band’s YouTube channel. Footage for this event is taken from their 2006 hometown performance at Trädgår’n in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Knife’s 2006 tour featured their first-ever headline shows in support of their third studio album, “Silent Shout”. Below is The Knife performing “We Share Our Mother’s Health” live from Gothenburg in 2006. “Silent Shout” was the third studio album by Swedish electronic music duo The Knife. It was released on 17 February 2006 by Rabid Records. The album was definitely darker than its predecessor, “Deep Cuts” (2003). It spawned four singles: “Silent Shout”, “Marble House”, “We Share Our Mothers’ Health” and “Like a Pen”. The album, the music video for the title track and some of the press photos were inspired by the work of German-American animator Oskar Fischinger and the comic book series Black Hole by American cartoonist Charles Burns.

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