News editor: Mikael Kahrle

Depeche Mode's "Useless" sells "miracle bra"
• In September, we wrote about a Depeche Mode video greeting with all three members. The official site continues to publish greetings with individual members. Andy Fletcher and Martin Gore have made small clips and David Gahan is scheduled for this Sunday.
- And as you probably know, we're about half way through the recording, and things are going really well. There's a positive vibe in the studio with the band, and we're looking forward to having this record out finally, Martin Gore said.
The band will continue recordings until mid-November, when the mixing phase starts.
The Kruder and Dorfmeister remix of "Useless" is being licensed to a Victoria's Secret TV commercial for their "Natural Miracle Bra". It has been aired in the US for some time now. Unfortunately we don't know what kind of miracle can be expected from this bra. /Mikael Kahrle

Manson single details, further tour dates and "M*A*S*H" cover

The cover for the first new single.

• The first single off Marilyn Manson's "Holy Wood (in the Shadow of the Valley of Death)", "Disposable Teens", will be out on November 6. The song is said to be included in the "Blair Witch Project" sequel, "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2", but not on the soundtrack to be released on October 30. Instead it features a Manson version of the old "M*A*S*H" theme "Suicide Is Painless", as well as tracks from Rob Zombie, Elastica, Death in Vegas and others.
Finally we can report that six dates have been added to the US tour (see official web site). /Mikael Kahrle

A Spell Inside compiles old and writes new material
• German electro act A Spell Inside will re-release their old out-of-print album "Visions from the Inside", as well as their two EP:s "Brothers" and "Return to Grey" on a compilation called "Stories from the Inside". It should be released any day now. They also have a brand new album in the works. /Niklas Forsberg

Another mini tour with The Sisters of Mercy
• Still no word about new The Sisters of Mercy releases (what a surprise) - but another tour with six dates in Germany. Here's the brand new list: February 26 Hamburg, March 1 Berlin, 2 Erfurt, 3 Munich, 5 Stuttgart and 6 Cologne. They will also play in England. How long can this go on? /Mikael Kahrle

Boytronic reformed

Boytronic in the past.

• Original member of Boytronic Holger Wobker has met up with Hayo Panarinfo and decided to reform Boytronic. This will become sort of a old/new formation, given Wobker's appearance as vocalist on the first two albums ("The Working Model" and "The Continental") and Panarinfo's as a musician on the two later albums ("Love for Sale" and "The Heart and the Machine").
They will go into Panarinfo's studio in November to start recording. They will include a third member, a keyboard player, later on as well. Both Hayo and Holger have already written several songs. /Niklas Forsberg

Future plans for a "new Kraftwerk"
• Vorsprung Durch Technik is Germany's answer to England's Komputer. The three young men from Neuss have previously released two maxis and one album on EMI Electrola. Now they have changed label to Motor (Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, MDFMK) and have two new maxis on their way. The new album is called "Britpop" (January).
Their early material is retro electronics in the Kraftwerk/Can vein mixed with new sounds. Nowadays, they add dance and chill out elements.
The members behind Vorsprung Durch Technik have previously produced such successful electro acts as Melotron, Klirrfaktor and In Strict Confidence. They should not be mixed up with the U2 cover band with the same name. /Jens Krause, Mikael Kahrle

Electro/gothic compilation with bands from Alaska and Oregon
• "Transcendence" is a new compilation with electronic and gothic bands hailing from Alaska, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. It was released by Doppler Effect on September 5. Among the participants: Noxious Emotion, SMP and Thine Eyes/ml. /Mikael Kahrle

The end for Boxman
• The huge European web shop for CD, DVD and games Boxman has now filed one's petition in bankruptcy. /Mikael Kahrle

New Orbital album out in March
• Techno duo Orbital has finished the recordings of their new album. Scheduled for a March 2001 release, the album is said to be more playful and less moody than their previous outings. /Kristoffer Noheden

Tricky releases new EP on Epitaph sublabel
• Tricky departed from Island Records last year, and has now signed a deal with American Anti, sub label to Epitaph. His first release for the label will be an EP called "Mission Accomplished" on October 23. He is also currently working on a new album in New York. /Kristoffer Noheden

Rammstein once again in Swedish studio

• Side-Line has published some news from the Rammstein web site fan area. A single might show up before Christmas and the new album is likely to be released early 2001. A new mixing round takes place this month in Sweden with the band, producer Jacob Hellner and mixer Stefan Glaumann. Live dates are scheduled for January and February in New Zealand and Australia. A European tour will start in May and continue to the USA. /Mikael Kahrle

New releases from new Zoth Ommog
• After a break with internal restructuring, the German electro label Zoth Ommog is back with two new records in November.
First out is the maxi CD "Illusion" with synthpop newcomers Sub/Zero. They are said to take the best from bands like And One and Melotron. The lyrics are in German.
Zoth Ommog will also deliver an album from another new band, Shock of Reality. The music is hard and electronic, for fans of early Front Line Assembly, Leœther Strip and Klinik. /Jens Krause

New Daft Punk single in November
• French disco duo Daft Punk will release their new single "One More Time", featuring the vocals of house profile Romanthony, on November 13. /Kristoffer Noheden

Our man in London
• Release writer Kristoffer Noheden has moved from Sweden to London. He is, as you might have noticed, working for us from London and will of course continue to deliver lots of News and reviews. We are also looking into some exciting feature projects, since London, as we all know, is the artist Mecca.
Noheden has previously lived on different locations in Sweden as well as in Austria.
Other staff news: Sussi Pettersson is currently on a long trip through Europe. She has watched Einstürzende Neubauten in Prague and checked out the Pleasure and Pain festival in Düsseldorf. And Mattias Huss should be back from a three week trip to Japan any day now. /Mikael Kahrle

Techno Animal signing new deal with Matador Records
• Brutal electronic duo Techno Animal has signed a new deal with American independent label Matador. Their first release on the label will be a split 12" with experimental hip hop act Dalek, and is to be released November 13. A new Techno Animal album is also in the works. Entitled "Brotherhood of the Bomb", it will be out in early 2001. /Kristoffer Noheden

Debut singles from Spanish techno act
• As reported earlier, Memento Materia has signed the Spanish one man EBM/techno act Iberian Spleen. The debut single "Liquid Sex" is here any day now with four mixes and a "Trans Europe Express" cover. There are already plans for a second single, "Drama'n'bass". /Mikael Kahrle

Elastica speeds up the tempo
• Elastica released the album "The Menace" earlier this year, five years after their debut album. Now, they already have made four songs for a new album which they hope to complete in the near future. /Mikael Kahrle

Three new releases from New York electronica label

Lypid is one of Statra's acts. Singer Katahryn Hayman to the left.

• The New York label Statra Recordings is currently working on three electronic releases.
Denver McCarthy will deliver a dance album called "Rise and Shine" on October 3. This is something as unusual as electronica from New Zealand. 24-year old McCarthy lives in Wellington and has built himself a reputation in his part of the world.
Electronics and jazz melts together on Jeff Sharel self-entitled CD/2x12" (September 19).
Finally, alternative techno three-piece Lypid has just released their second single called "The Signs Alive". /Mikael Kahrle

P J Harvey album date and tour plans
• The new P J Harvey album "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea" will be released on October 23 (Island/Univesral).
In January and February next year, she will play in Australia and New Zealand for the first time. Six dates there will be something of a start for her forthcoming world tour . /Mikael Kahrle

Second single from techno soul duo Sadovaja

• The Swedish electronica pop duo Sadovaja released the single "A Sweet Design" and its video in August. The next single will be "Trademark". /Mikael Kahrle

No surprises from Mobile Homes
• Swedish synthpop veterans Mobile Homes say both their new single and album are further delayed. The single will show up in late October or November at the earliest. They hope to be able to play some concerts early next year. /Mikael Kahrle

Busy days for Marc Almond

• Marc Almond's autobiography, "Tainted Life" from last year, will be issued in a paperback edition on October 6. On the musical front, Marc Almond has provided vocals in two songs on the new Mekon (John Gosling from Psychic TV and Zos Kia) album "Relax with Mekon" (September 25).
Almond will also be performing one song live with American rock band Magnetic Fields at their London show on November 1. This is due to the fact that Almond was one of the featured singers on the album "Hyacinths and Thistles" (early September) by Magnetic Fields side project The 6ths. Among other well known artists on that album were Gary Numan - who seems to show up everywhere these days - and Sarah Cracknell of Saint Etienne. /Kristoffer Noheden

Moby's "Bodyrock" theme song for "FIFA 2001" game
• In November, EA Sports are expected to deliver "FIFA 2001" for Playstation 2. Moby's "Bodyrock" has been chosen to be the lead theme. /Mikael Kahrle

New album and tour with Gary Numan

• Gary Numan has now released the follow-up to his much appreciated "Exile" album, "Pure" (Eagle/Edel). It's out now in Europe and the North American date is October 30 (Spitfire). A review is of course in the making.
Numan will play in London on October 30 and in November a short tour follows with stops in Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium. More dates might follow.
Finally the official Numan site Nuworld reports that his kitten Mew Mew was overrun by a car on September 22. /Mikael Kahrle

Finally a new Young Gods album
• The new Young Gods album "Second Nature" will be released any day now. The single "Lucidogen" was released earlier this year on Intoxygene. /Kristoffer Noheden

Anita Lane working on new material
• Singer Anita Lane is now working on new songs. Lane has previously provided vocals to records by Einstürzende Neubauten, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Mick Harvey, Barry Adamson and Die Haut. She is also the ex-girlfriend of Nick Cave. /Kristoffer Noheden

New releases from synthpoppers Obsc(y)re
• The new Obsc(y)re single "Forgive Me" is to be released on October 23, with their new album "Heavenly Venture" due out on November 13. The music is supposed to be a bit more varied with the use of other instruments than synths this time. /Niklas Forsberg

Red Flag singlemania
• US synthpop duo Red Flag has released another single in their so called "Megablack Series". It's a number of limited CD singles marketed through their website. The new single is called "Curtains" and holds remixes plus the two extra songs "King of Everything" and "L.O.V.E.". A new album is in the works. /Niklas Forsberg