With a 5-track Download-only release, the prominent US duo INFORMATIK adds another chapter to their ongoing successful story of the furious past year. All good things started with their last years’ album ”Beyond”. Never before Tyler Newman and Da5id Din could earn so much recognition for their new celebrated musically direction, to combine the always high-skilled synth-driven Electropop-sound of Da5id with the rather Rock-/ Alternative-oriented acoustic efforts of Tyler (BATTERY CAGE). A self-organized remix contest has received international attention, the two winning contributors will make it on their upcoming new album ”Arena”, while the further rest out of this contest can be still downloaded directly from the INFORMATIK-website. ”Come Together” is the appetizer for the new album, a rather straight and quite college radio-compatible track, which follows the newly discovered style of ”Beyond”. Asides the ”Radio Mix”, this track is available in 2 further different remixed versions, the ”Clubmix T” (Tyler) and the ”Clubmix D” (Da5id) – both attractive enough produced to share some floor action. You should also lay your focus of interest on the both additional tracks, because you’ll get rewarded with an intense remix on the ballad ”Don’t Be Afraid”, one of the outstanding tracks of ”Beyond” – the rather Goth/Dark Electro-oriented audience will fall in love with this moody reinterpretation. But also ”Bottom Feeder” is much better than someone might expect from a b-side and impresses with ist cold synth pads, the attacking guitar-riffs and the deep blurring bass-lines. ”Come Together” is an attractive teaser release, which promises a lot for the new album.

Kod.eX is an event organization based in Paris/France which will celebrate its 4 years of activities in December 2009. This double compilation released by Brume Records gathers 26 bands that have played at Kod.ex and which represents the main core of today's industrial electronic scene as they have released their music through Ant-Zen, Hymen, Hands, Ad Noiseam, Brume Records, M-Tronic, Audiotrauma, etc. The first half of CD1 amazed me for its atmospheric continuity: Empusae, Mlada Fronta, Dither, Cdatakill, Sonic Area (they present a great track titled "Nevermore" where classic atmospheres a la Ennio Morricone are mixed with electro industrial rhythms creating a breathtaking effect), Le Diktat (industrial hip hop is the definition I'd give to their "Ennemi intérieur") are giving their best mixing melody, electro industrial rhythms, dub and synthetic sounds creating good tracks where atmosphere and rhythm are the main elements. With This Mourn' Omina atmosphere changes a bit thanks to their minimal approach to melody. Also the following four acts follow a minimal approach to sound where melody is present but sound and rhythm manipulation is more important. Tzolk'in (Live at Kod.ex), Flint-Glass, Ab Ovo and C.h.District sound more industrial and tense compared to the previous bands (Detritus aren't included into this list as "Watching The Watchmaker" sounds like a spy movie electronic soundtrack). This change again with the closing track composed by Oil 10 ("Solid sun" sounds like an electro track influenced by Vangelis music). With the second CD industrial distortions and industrial electro sounds are under the spotlight with LITH, Element Abuse, Ex Tension (their "Le complexe" mix industrial and electro e.b.m.), Twinkle ("Le passage de wormholes" mix breakbeat rhythms, electro industrial sounds and particular melodies which seems to be sampled from a carillon), Fractional, Asche ("Steamroom - count sucker's reprise version" is a distorted tense monster with dramatic atmospheres), Chrysalide ("Noize guerilla - gangstanoize remix by Sonic Area is a sort of industrial e.b.m./black metal blend), Roger Rotor, Sylvgheist Maëlström, Sulphuric Saliva, Mono No Aware ("As an intro" is an hypnotic industrial loopy track), Imminent and Cenotype. Personally I preferred the first CD as it was less focused on a "physical approach" but you know... this could not be true for you, as usual.

Another COP International hard EBM release…hmmm…I read that this one’s been around for a while but I only recently received it. We’re a little slow here on new stuff sometimes…anyway, Schallfaktor hails from Heidelberg, Germany and cranks out classic old-school hard EBM like there’s no tomorrow. (And maybe there isn’t, who the hell knows for sure.) Just two guys here (that’s really all you need for this kind of music), Drazen Sucic, mit den vocals und produktion; und Sascha Pniok, mit den keyboards und sampling. ‘Sittenverfall’ owes a debt to acts like Leaether Strip, Wumpscut, et al, without which they might never exist.

The album is mostly geared towards the dance-floor, with a scant few atmospheric diversions for variety’s sake. It’s dark and edgy, well-produced, with good continuity and enough variation to keep things interesting. Who cares that most of the vocals in are in German (processed, but not over-processed so you actually could understand them if you spoke the language); it’s the mood they set that are important. There’s nothing like the German language for this type of music anyway. The beats and song structures are simple but effective; absolutely perfect for club-play.

Stylistically, this isn’t anything you haven’t heard before. I don’t think Schallfaktor is trying to re-invent the wheel on ‘Sittenverfall’. Sometimes the layered synth sonics recall Gary Numan, but most of it is everything you’ve ever heard in (insert EBM band name of choice). Arrangements are sparse enough to breathe, yet effective enough to get the point across. If I had to refer to one band/album I was reminded of, it would be the more uptempo tracks on Seelenkank’s somewhat fetish-obsessed ‘Silent Pleasures,’ from a few years back.

Best tracks for the dark danceclub DJ to integrate into a set are “Promiskuitiv” and “Mir” (with German vocals) or “Suicide Confession” and “Malfunction” if you’d prefer vocals in English. You just need to audition intros and outros before you spin them. If you want a good sexy fetish track, try “Aroused” (with its suggestive female samples) but a lot of the track is atmos before it breaks into a beat.

I have to say I like this CD, even though it’s derivative, it is very well done derivative. If you’ve been looking to get a new EBM music fix and other bands just aren’t doing it for you, try Schallfaktor. You won’t get bogged down in bullshit or clouded by concept. EBM just the way Mom used to like it, if mom was a rivethead or gothic dolly.

It seems the brand new album by the leathery Dark-EBM one-man (Chris C. is the name and the shortned surname of the mentioned man!) band Xentrifuge, which have finally come back after their mind-blasting debut on the German label Noitekk, entitled Light Extinguished (2005), with an even more ferocious noisy formula, has been completely recording with microphones, synths and drum-machines thrown into the rounding stormy walls from the peaceful eye of a cyclone. Hissing distorted and almost unrecognizable vocals, tormented patterns, hardly pushing swarms of bass frequencies marching side-by-side with engraved delicious electronic sound sculptures: one of the possible way to let a thunderstorm speak through over-peaked speakers, evoking apocalyptic forecasts brutally that are going to remove bandage blindfolding your eyes (or better your ears) .


Most of the tracks (Error Seven, the tremendously head-banging beat storms in Penance and Black Horizon and the anxious sound-set of Converting Infinity are the highlights according to our ear and backbones response) are weapons of mass awakening and dancehall corruption, giving EBM and technofetish vynil licking djs the possibility to simulate electrified thunders on the dancehalls. You’ll take just breath on the darkish oracular final track, Immune, unveiling the transitory nature of what is commonly named truth, partially anticipated by the artwork, where some bastard graphic designer has put a black key in symbolic positions… An elektro-metallic battleship built on nebulous beats, muscular rhythms and frightening sounds, which could deflagrate your soul, is going to reinvigorate your body while shaking it on the dancefloor, being the only mole of this 10-track collection its stylistic homogeneity which could disappoint listeners seeking for variations or more varied gears. By the way, you could easily verify that Xentrifuge meat is too tough to be bitten.

Dormant slippery listeners are going to be definitively awaken!

Jennifer Choi is one of the most active and talented violinists in both New York's classical and downtown music scene. Her style is adventurous and grounded at the same time and her knowledge and understanding of the music and of the instrument position her as one of the leading virtuoso violinists on the scene, but also as one of the most open minded and daring players out there. She has played in countless places and on numerous records by improvised and classical music composers and luminaries such as Susie Ibarra, John Zorn (check her out in Zorn's latest master[card-]piece "Femina") and many others... Her latest work is a solo CD featuring interpretations of pieces by Alexandra Gardener, Randall Woolf, Padma Newsome, Susie Ibarra, Annie Gosfield and Ikue Mori, who also appears on the record as a guest and with whom Jennifer recorded three improvisations. As you might except from the sub-title, there is plenty of electronics (from ambient textures, to industrial-ish sounds, from soundscapes and layers to glitches and buzzes, from field-type background noises to sampled material). Her eclectic playing complements such eccentricity with passion and innovation, moving well beyond the standard bowing and the pizzicatos and experimenting with a whole new slew of sounds and noises that the instrument is capable of generating when in her hands. Highly recommended to those who want to hear some masterfully executed solo violin pieces but who aren't afraid to find out that there might be more than just violin after all.