IMJUDAS is the solo project for MaxxMaryan, who is also half of the Italian duo HELYANFLOWERS. Maryan has released two EP’s, PeopleOfTheBlame and SoUntrue, on the Spleen+ label which is a mixture of electronic and post-punk sensibilities.
Both EPs are a mixture of songs off the previous album Yrjudas, however you will find remixes and also unreleased demo versions. People Of The Blame indeed takes the track of that name and giving you the glorious canned anger mix and the Octolab remix which brings a very techno vibe dance track. Madil Hardis gives the track her elegant touch as well as delightful vocals, making it poignant and thoughtful, or you can enjoy the alfa remix and the 2016 demo version. The Neikka RPM mix of the single “Ritual” whirls out into the universe and you are also are treated to the demo of “Tulpa“.
SoUntrue follows the same formula with the standout remix of the title track by Elektrostaub, where the guitar has been removed and filled by beautiful synths. There is the slower version by Phil from The Breathe Of Life that pulls at your heart strings and yet another demo of this track. You can hear yet another electronic interpretation of “Ritual” and the demo of “Outcast“.
Maryan really does have a brilliant voice that is the lynch pin between all the tracks and it is really interesting to see the progression between demo, single versions and remixes. It has been stated that this is the last look back at the Yrjudus album….. and what a look back it has been. It might seem too good to be true but you should definitely get into IMJUDAS.
Ner/Ogris is a fairly new project from Germany, but you have more than likely heard of the two guys involved. There is vocalist tinoC from Amnistia and kaiN of Les Berrtas, who is the keyboard player and composer. Their first album, I Am The Shadow, I Am The Light, is full of electronic beats, deep and powerful synths, and raw vocals, released at the end of February on the label Dependant. The guys were gracious enough to talk to us about the album, how it came together, their influences and their shared admiration of Anthony Rother (you lucky lucky man).
Welcome kaiN and tinoC of Ner\Ogris, to Onyx where everything is in balance, which is why we co-ordinate in black.
Neither of you are new to the electronic scene, so what inspired you to create this new project Ner\Ogris?
Ner\Ogris: kaiN had the plan to release a instrumental album under the name NER\OGRIS and sent almost all the to the guys behind AMNISTIA to get some feedback. tinoC had the idea to add vocals to one of the tracks. When kaiN heard the demo he was like “maybe you can give this treatment to some more tracks?”. After about two or three weeks we had 6 tracks ready and it was obvious that we can not name this child a “featuring”… the rest is history.
How do you feel the German dark alternative scene has impacted on how you create music now and what style of music feeds your creative juices?
tinoC: I am in the scene for a long time and I am happy that I can call a some great musicians my friends. I really like the dark music scene and I listen to a lot of old and new music. I don’t like every release of course – that would be crazy, but I know what is going on in the scene and I have my influences there. I try to use my voice in different styles and very likely you can hear this in some of the songs.
kaiN: I was lucky enough to have grown up in this scene. With my other band (Les Berrtas) we had a great time in the early 90s with bands like CalvaYNada or Liederkranz with whom we played some concerts. I can still remember the first EBM nights in Frankfurt. Of course, that left its mark and has continued to this day. Today I think it’s great that younger bands like 2nd Face are taking up this niche again. Even if there are still only a few and the rest are getting older…
Your debut album is titled “I Am The Shadow – I Am The Light” which speaks of duality, for there is no light without darkness. Can you tell us a bit more about the album?
Ner\Ogris: It’s all about contrasts – noise and silence, harsh and soft, instrumental- and vocal tracks. We think the most interesting fact about the album is, that it was not planed. It “appeared” out of the nothing in a very spontaneous way. The music is still like it was before there were words or vocals. We did not change anything on it. It felt right to add the vocals to the tracks. kaiN said on day that the tracks finally made sense with vocals on it.
There are some big beats on the album and contrasts between the synths and vocals in line with the title. Was this conscientious at the time or it was just the way it all came together?
Ner\Ogris: As we mentioned… the music was there and is still like it was. The words and vocals followed the music and they came together very fast.
Do you have any tracks off the album that are particularly your favourites and why?
tinoC: My favourite instrumental tracks are “Pájaro” and “Fiebre Oscura”. “Deepest Fear” and “Reality & Fiction” are my favorites among the vocal tracks.
kaiN: Hard to say … All the songs have somehow been around for so long … Maybe “deepest Fear”, because Vincent from 2nd Face gave the song a phenomenal climax with his co-production. Or Reality & Fiction because of its danceability. But definitely “Faith” from the bonus CD – because TinoC performs awesome vocals to the song.
Do you find working together has brought out relationship that pushes you both to go further?
tinoC: That’s a good question. We will see what happens in the future. At the moment we only know what can happen when I add vocals to finished tracks that were not planned to release with vocals on it. I’m really looking forward to new tracks because I’m sure KaiN’s compositional habits will change a bit when he knows he’s working on a track that will have vocals finally. I really hope he will not lose his craziness for the music because there are parts in the tracks that are crazy and I think that’s great.
kaiN: Yes, we will see what the future brings. TinoC can also write good songs, as he has already proven with TC75 and Amnistia. It’s exciting for me in any case and I’m looking forward to no longer being solely responsible for the music.
How does it feel to be compared musically to fellow Germans, X MARKS THE PEDWALK, circa early 90s?
tinoC: To be honest… I am a big fan of XMTP. I personally think that tracks like “Cenothaph” or “Never Dare To Ask” are some of the greatest tunes of the scene. But I do not see any similarities between NER\ORGIS and XMTP beside the fact that we both are electronic bands. But it’s nice and an honor to know that other people feel that way.
kaiN: I agree with tinoC. I’ve known XMTP since the 90s and they have had a strong influence on the German dark electro scene. It is not the worst thing to be compared with XMTP!
If you could pick any electronic artists (alive or dead) to do guest remixes of the album, who would you pick?
tinoC: Good question! Thinking big is good 😉 I would like to hear Anthony Rother and Trent Reznor remixes from our tracks 😉
kaiN: Anthony Rother is a good choice 🙂 But I would actually be interested to hear what the album would sound like if it had been produced by Rick Rubin.9.
What is in the future for Ner\Ogris?
Ner\Ogris: The album has only been out since February 24th, so there is no new release in the near future but we have some confirmed live dates. We will share them when they are ready for the public. We want to see you all at one of the events and maybe have a chat there.
Infacted Recordings released on the 24th of March, the new single “Already Dead“, a combined effort from TEKNOVORE (Greece) & J:dead (UK).
The beats when they kick in are like a heart in the midst of going into tachycardia, racing it feels at a hundred miles an hour. Psytrance bombastic swirling synths combine with J:dead’s vocals going from sweet to ramping up the fucking gravity with his trademark growling.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any bigger, they smack you up the side of the head with the FabrikC remix that literally stomps. Jay Taylor is definitely not dead, with the screams being ripped from his body as the music slams into the realm of harder industrial.
And for good measure, they have The SaintPaul remix, heavy techno with scintillating synths, that lifts the track into a futuristic realm, spinning you until you are dizzy.
Wow. Just wow. If you tell me you are bored listening to “Already Dead” three times in a row, I think we might have to pronounce you, dear listener, as D.O.A…. an ex parrot pining for the fjords. It’s bloody amazing. The guys, TEKNOVORE and J: Dead, have smashed this and kudos to the remixers for their superb skills. It kicks arse and like a drug, you’ll be coming back for more.
At one point or another, everyone has felt like they are invisible or unable to see their way and this is the subject of the latest Meersein single “Lost“. And who doesn’t like a bit of German darkwave synthie-pop?!
I have to say that this is some ways actually reminds me a little musically of the 80s and the likes of Howard Jones. The drum machine picks up a timely rhythm, as the synths tinkle and also create a bass undercurrent. Meersein’s vocal’s range from silk, to whispers and a rather deep sexy growl, as he tells you he is ‘lost like a ghost in a maze‘.
It is worth your while to check out this single, because a little bird revealed that the next is coming out soon, which will be Meersein and Corlyx. Something tells me that is going to be pretty amazing. “Lost” is a nice tasty treat with a video of Meersein singing in a picturesque German forest.
It was announced En Esch (ex-KMFDM, Pigface, Mona Mur/En Esch) has signed to the label GIVE/TAKE and that the first single “Push” which is off the soon to be released solo album, after a seven year break. En Esch (main vocals, programming, piano, acoustic drums) is joined by Gabriel Lennox (male vocals, programming) of Seraph Sin, Erica Dilanjian (female vocals) of Lords OfAcid and Raymond Watts (additional male vocals) of Pig and also ex-KMFDM fame.
The groove is infectious and Esch’s vocals, guttural low bring you into a a track that has all the hallmarks of a old school favourite. The flow is almost funky and yet there is a serious side to “Push” about the people in the background that work tirelessly, never recognized for their contributions and often push further out of view. There is also the “Push (KPT Further Mix)” .with Joshua Lexvold (remixing, additional synth, programming) and JQ Lexvold (guitar). Stripped back, bleaker and more apocalyptic…. but oh my goodness, the end vocals are to die for!
Went you listen to these musicians, that have so much experience under their belts, there is the realization that they gel so well together and this track is full of simmering tension, tempered with beats. En Esch is going to “Push” you to the dance floor.
German industrial project, Neon Insect released the album New Moscow Underground in 2019, and now Nils Sinatsch is back after a hiatus with new music in the form of the single “REWIRED“. The single is a continuation of a storyline that Nils has been forming since 2018, about New York, after World War III broke out in the 90s, where Russia now rules, causing human experimentation in cybernetics and subjugation of the people. All this has been further influenced and fuelled by the war in Ukraine.
The rumbling, clattering start up of the mechanisms as it lurches forward, gathering momentum. The rhythmic pounding is the resolve to no longer live as part of a machine that takes away their humanity while the soaring synths on high are almost symbolic of righteous change.
All the while, Nils‘ vocals speak of a crumbling power and that we, in the end, have self-determination and are not programmed robots. The sign of a good track is one that seems to finish all too soon, and “REWIRED” goes for just over three minutes, but you could swear it was a lot less. Neon Insect is bringing the heavy.
Those two electronic guys from London and Denmark, who go under the guise of Perpacity, have released the epically named single, “Ragnarök” , as of the 3rd of March. Ian Harling and Martin Nyrup have announced that this will be the last single off the soon to be re4leased album Discordia.
Remember I said epic, as “Ragnarök” means ‘doom of the Gods‘ and is a predicted event in Norse mythology, of the destruction of worlds of men and the Gods. A mixture of future pop and something a bit darker, an echoing back to a time in history when the Gods walked the lands. Visions of the end of time that swirl in electronic motes, like flurries of snow, while the vocals dance between the icy fingers of death. The b-side is “Halls Of TheFallen” is a slower affair that speaks of the warrior’s last day before they fall in battle and then taken to Valhalla. The promise of eternal life, though they must leave all else behind, and this is reflected in the sinuous nature of the music. Building to the moment of lament and glory, and perhaps it is a Valkyrie we can hear in the march towards the appointed fate..
You might think that mixing a tale that is around a thousand years old, with electronic music, might be a bit cheesy, but this is not the case. Perpacity has pulled this off beautifully, weaving the electro with the mystical, exhibiting skill of the Sibyl that prophesised the coming of “Ragnarök“.
Here is an interesting curve ball. UK industrial musician MATT HART has released the single “TO THE CORE” in a remixed version by Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection fame. The original single hails from the BELOW THE TERRA PT. 1 album, which is part of an epic opus about humans forced to flee underground by alien machine foes, intent on their demise.
Graves has a very distinctive voice and you cannot miss his dulcet industrial pop tones. You might think this is an easy breezy, pop til you drop dance number…..but you are only right to a point and have been lulled into a false sense of security, when it all drops the down for a bass beat heavy chorus. So you are on a roller-coaster between succulent sweet crooning and grating chanting as the big push goes on, to dig down to the hot core of the planet, with with a charged up dance track.
Will the humans survive the onslaught? That is for another release but I would be a fairly happy little human bean (being) hearing more collaborations between HART and Graves. The Aesthetic Perfection remix featuring Daniel Graves, has polished MATT HART’s gem, “TO THE CORE“, into a diamond.
If you don’t know who VNV Nation is, then you probably have been living under a rock for many, many years. It seems an age since they last released anything new, touring at the big festivals but Metropolis Records (US) have released their first single, “Before TheRain“. It has also been announced that a new album is on the horizon, already named Electric Sun, slated for release on the 14th of April, which is good news for the faithful. What does it sound like? It sounds like VNV Nation with the ever enthusiastic RonanHarris at the helm. So strike up the lighters……..
The Troll Finder General aka the big TFG, is back with Phobos Reactor and their double the trouble remix called “DELIRiuMX“, where we believe the MX stands for mix and not Mexico. But speaking of Mexico, that is where No Devotion Records the label is also based. Annnd life goes full circle……
“Kangastuksia” gets the Finnish Oldschool Union RMX and true to the name, it gets the old school stompy action going with Mac Hine guiding the wubbing delights about going a bit crazy after a night on the turps and the mother of all hangovers. Then there is the decent into whirling synth induced dizziness with the second version of “Kangastuksia” from yet another TFG comrade in arms, Australia’s General KangarooSGS, who also moonlights under pseudonym Ant Banister.
The theory is to fix a massive hangover, is to keep drinking, which is for most of us, probably a very bad idea and for the character in this scenario, something to regret later but at least he got two big remixes for his trouble!
